New Delhi, Sept 18: Delhi Police have arrested 23 people following raids on three alleged illegal international call centres operating from residential premises in west Delhi, officials said on Friday.
The accused allegedly targeted people in the United States, Canada and European countries by posing as technical-support or customer-care representatives of companies such as Apple and Microsoft.Police said the coordinated raids were conducted on September 17 at premises in Meenakshi Garden, Ajay Enclave and Kirti Nagar after investigators received specific intelligence and technical inputs.
According to police, the premises had been converted into makeshift call-centre facilities equipped with computers, mobile phones, routers and headphones.Investigators alleged that the suspects used fake pop-ups and messages claiming that victims had made unauthorised purchases, faced subscription-related issues or had security problems.
The victims were then allegedly directed to telephone numbers operated by the suspected call centres.The callers reportedly posed as technical-support personnel before transferring victims to other individuals who allegedly claimed to be senior officials or bankers.
Police said victims were allegedly asked to pay between USD 149 and USD 499 to resolve the purported problems.
The suspected operators allegedly sought payments through Apple gift cards and Zelle, after which payment details were shared among members of the network for collection and conversion of the proceeds, police said.Police said internet-based calling applications, including Google Voice, X-Lite, EyeBeam and MicroSIP, were allegedly used for international communications.
Investigators also suspect that UltraViewer was used to obtain remote access to victims’ computers.During the raids, police seized 27 laptops, 28 mobile phones, 11 routers, 36 headphones and 25 adapters.
Two high-end cars and Rs 79,200 in cash were also recovered, officials said.Preliminary examination of the seized electronic devices allegedly revealed international call records, overseas telephone numbers, information relating to victims, payment screenshots and conversations.
Police also found online messaging accounts and groups allegedly used for coordinating operations, exchanging information about toll-free numbers and managing suspected fraudulent proceeds.
The investigation indicates that the suspected network may have used VoIP-based calling and other technical methods to conceal the location and identity of its operators and circumvent international calling gateways, police said.
Among those arrested are alleged organisers Saurabh Sharma, Saranjeet Singh alias Jerry and Taranjeet Singh alias Jazz. Police also identified Gurvinder Singh alias Harry as an alleged key operator, while Sonit Kapoor alias James was allegedly working as a manager and Manmohan alias Maddy as a “banker”.
The remaining accused allegedly worked in different capacities, including as managers and telecallers.Police said the digital evidence is being examined to establish the complete structure of the alleged operation, determine the individual roles of those arrested and identify any other people who may have been involved.
The investigation is also expected to focus on the flow of the suspected fraudulent proceeds and the network’s links with overseas victims and associates.The allegations are part of the ongoing police investigation, and the accused will be subject to the due process of law.
