Police in Karnataka's Belagavi raided and shut down an illegally operated international fraud call centre that had been targeting US citizens and siphoning off large sums of money through sophisticated cyber scams. The police confirmed that the operation was launched after the Intelligence Security Division in Bengaluru provided information about suspicious activity (at the call centre).
The call centre was operating out of Bauxite Road in Belagavi. As the raid started, the police arrested 33 people- 28 men and five women, who were running the scam.
Those arrested hailed from nine states- Assam, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Some of them were also from Nepal.
Laptops, Mobile Phones Seized
During the raid, the police seized 37 laptops and 37 mobile phones, along with systems containing VoIP software and Urban VPN configurations based on disguising the origin of calls and making them appear as US-based numbers.
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Investigations revealed that the network used 11 different script-based models to defraud American citizens. Operators were trained using written scripts on how to speak to US victims and manipulate them into parting with money.
Masterminds Yet To Be Arrested
According to police, the masterminds behind the racket are based in Gujarat and West Bengal. Efforts are underway to arrest them soon.
Belagavi Police Commissioner Borse Bhushan Gulabra said cops would coordinate with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Interpol to contact the US citizens who were affected by the scam and record their statements.
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A case was filed under sections 66C, 66D, and 75 of the IT Act; section 319 of the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) for cheating; sections 48 and 49 of the BNS for offences committed outside India; and section 42 of the Telecommunication Act.
