Delhi Police busts illegal call centre operating as bank technical support; six held from 3 states

New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) Delhi Police has busted an illegal call centre in Vikaspuri area, arresting six cyber fraudsters who were duping people by posing as technical support from a private bank. They allegedly targeted new card holders in name of extending credit card limits and PIN generation assistance, officials said on Sunday.

Arrests were made across Delhi, Haryana and Telangana, police said, adding that a total of 41 mobile phones, a laptop, a router and diaries containing bank customer data were seized from the accused. According to police the accused have been identified as Vijay Kumar Sharma (46), Moolchand Mishra (51), Amit (27), Pradeep Sahu (28), Gaurav (38) and Hemant (25).

The syndicate duped nearly Rs 85 lakh from multiple victims, with 95 complaints already found registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) against the recovered mobile numbers.

"The case came to light when a resident from Dwarka, Virender Kumar (42), lodged a complaint on June 21, saying that after applying for a new private bank credit card, he received a call regarding PIN generation. Soon, an unauthorised transaction of Rs 2.81 lakh was detected in his account," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Ankit Singh said.

An FIR was registered and further investigation was taken up following he complaint, he said.

The officer said the accused ran an illegal call centre where telecallers posed as bank officials. They would contact unsuspecting credit card holders, offering them enhanced credit limits or PIN generation assistance.

During the conversation, they tricked victims into downloading an APK file, which allowed the fraudsters to remotely access their mobile phones, including SMS. This gave them control over OTPs and banking details.

"The gang would then use the stolen credentials to exhaust the victim's credit card limits by transferring money into mule bank accounts or purchasing high-value mobile phones through e-commerce platforms. These phones were later sold to local retailers at discounted rates, with the fraudsters posing as company dealers," Singh said.

Police said technical surveillance revealed that the fraudulent call to the complainant originated from Vikaspuri area. Further probes traced mule accounts and fake SIM cards used in the crime to Panipat in Haryana, Bathinda in Punjab and Telangan's Hyderabad.

Simultaneous raids were conducted in Vikaspuri and Hyderabad, leading to the arrest of kingpin Vijay Sharma and his aides. Sharma had roped in four women telecallers to lure victims, after which he personally handled calls, sent malicious APK files and siphoned funds, police said.

Amit, operating from Hyderabad, managed fake SIM cards and mule bank accounts, while Pradeep Sahu procured SIMs of poor people in Haryana for fraudulent use. Moolchand Mishra acted as manager of the fake call centre, and Gaurav assisted as driver and co-partner.

Sharing profile of all the accused, police said Vijay, a resident of Uttam Nagar, holds degrees in B.Com, LLB, and holds technical degrees of software and hardware. He is the alleged mastermind of the racket.

Amit, from Panipat in Haryana, has only primary school education and handled mule accounts and SIM cards. Moolchand, from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, studied till Class 10 and worked as manager of the call centre. Police said that Pradeep, also from Panipat, is a primary school pass-out who supplied SIM cards, while Gaurav from Kirari, Delhi, studied till class 7. Hemant also from Uttam Nagar studied till class 12 and assisted in operations.

Further investigation is underway to identify more victims and financial trails linked to the gang, police said. PTI BM SHS OZ OZ