Bogus call centre busted in Mumbai; 13 held for duping US nationals

Mumbai, Sep 16 (PTI) Mumbai police busted a fake call centre in the western suburbs and arrested 13 people allegedly involved in duping US nationals on the pretext of renewing anti-virus software on their computers, an official said on Tuesday.

The crime branch raided a premises at Vihan Commercial Complex in Goregaon East on Monday night and apprehended the accused, the official said.

He said that the crime branch had received specific information about a call centre where employees would send emails to US nationals about the renewal of anti-virus software, along with a toll-free number.

"When the victims called on the toll-free number, the accused forced them to purchase gift cards worth $250 to $500. The accused persons would then convert the victims' payments into cryptocurrency," the official said.

The fake call centre had been operational for the last two years, he said.

The police have arrested two owners of the call centre, both highly qualified, a manager, and 10 agents, the official said, adding that the raid continued overnight on Monday.

He said the accused have been booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Information Technology Act, and Telecommunication Act, and a local court has remanded them to police custody. PTI DC ARU