Fake call centre busted in Palghar district; five held

Palghar, Feb 24 (PTI) Five persons have been arrested for allegedly operating a fake call centre from an apartment in Maharashtra's Palghar district and duping US nationals by posing as tech support representatives, police said on Tuesday.

The local crime branch raided a flat in Palghar West around midnight and nabbed the accused, District Superintendent of Police Yatish Deshmukh said.

The accused had illegally collected contact details of US citizens and called them posing as representatives of tech companies, claiming their devices had been hacked or had viruses, he said.

"To resolve these non-existent technical issues, the gang coerced victims into purchasing gift cards of various brands, ranging from $500 to $4,000. This money was converted into cryptocurrency, and they finally received cash through hawala channels," Deshmukh added.

The police have seized four laptops, 12 mobile phones, and other electronic equipment worth Rs 5.72 lakh during the raid, he said.

The arrested accused have been identified as Bharat Loku Lalwani (35) and Rohit Milind Zonhe (23), Rohit Rajendra Nimbalkar (29), Amardeep Angrej Gill (24), and Sagar Baldev Pathadia (29).

"A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. The accused were produced before a local court, which has remanded them in police custody till February 28," the SP said. PTI COR ARU