Fake call centre scam: Haryana Police arrest 21 in Panchkula raid targeting US citizens

Haryana Police and state cyber teams raided a fake international call centre in Sector 2, Panchkula, arresting 21 people, including four alleged organisers. Police said the group targeted US citizens by posing as e-commerce customer service, extracting personal data, using remote access apps, and pressuring victims to buy gift cards later redeemed for profit.

Haryana Police said a fake international call centre in Panchkula was running a scam on US citizens. The callers posed as staff of a leading e-commerce company. A joint team raided the site in Sector-2 on Monday night. Police said 21 people were arrested, including four alleged organisers.

Police said the four main accused were produced in a local court on Tuesday. The court sent them to seven-day police custody. The four were named as Raja Siddiqui, Akshay alias Tikku, Navdeep Bedi alias Raj Bedi and Ankur Kapoor. Police said they were from Kolkata, Punjab, Delhi and Haryana.

Haryana Police call centre fraud case: How the scam worked

Investigators said the group used specific software to receive calls. Police said the callers introduced themselves as customer service representatives. They collected personal details from targets in the US. They then asked victims to install remote access apps. Police said this helped them take control of victim computer systems.

Police said victims were then misled into buying gift cards. Investigators said the codes were redeemed through different channels for profit. Police said the operation targeted US citizens using the same method repeatedly. The accused were traced after a tip-off, leading to the coordinated raid.

Haryana Police call centre fraud case: Seizures and alleged money trail

According to DCP Crime and Traffic Amrinder Singh, police seized 19 computer systems and three laptops. Police also found 16 headsets and two point of sale machines. Three walkie-talkie sets and two Wi-Fi routers were seized too. A currency counting machine, a hardware crypto wallet, Rs 11.30 lakh cash, and counterfeit foreign currency were also found.

Police said they also recovered gold jewelry, diamond studs, chains and bracelets. Several documents and electronic devices were seized during the raid, police said. In the initial probe, police said the illegal income was moved to various states. Police said it travelled through a hawala network and cryptocurrency platforms.

Police said the remaining 17 arrested people included five women and 12 men. Investigators said they worked as computer operators at the site. Police said all of them were released on bail. The focus remained on the four alleged masterminds, who stayed in police custody for questioning.

DCP Amrinder Singh said police were preparing more raids in other states using leads from the accused. Police said more arrests were likely as the probe widened. The case continued to examine devices, seized documents, and the suspected money routes. Haryana Police said the action followed coordinated work by cyber and district teams.

With inputs from PTI