19 arrested for allegedly duping US citizens; gadgets and vehicles worth Rs 94.7 lakh seized
PANAJI
The Crime Branch teams raided two illegal call centres operating from upscale residential neighbourhoods in Panaji and Dona Paula and arrested 19 people accused of orchestrating a fraud scheme targeting citizens in the United States.
The CB said the accused who impersonated representatives of loan companies, promised instant money and loans to unsuspecting victims before persuading them to make payments through gift cards, including Apple, Xbox and Macy’s cards.
Details shared by SP Crime Rahul Gupta stated that the two coordinated raids led to the seizure of laptops, mobile phones, networking equipment and four vehicles worth a combined Rs 94.7 lakh approx.
In the first raid, officers raided an apartment in a residential complex in St Inez and arrested nine persons.
As per the State complaint, filed by CB Inspector Tushar Lotliker, the operation was allegedly masterminded by two men from Ahmedabad identified as Yash Dessai, 29, and 23-year-old Karan Mala.
The CB said the group had rented the apartment and set up a makeshift call centre, employing several workers from Assam, Delhi and Gujarat, who allegedly used laptops and virtual private networks to mask their locations before contacting American citizens through the Eyebeam application, impersonating loan company agents.
"Victims were then allegedly instructed to purchase gift cards such as Sephora, Green Dot MoneyPak, Razer Gold and Apple cards as “processing fees” or “security deposits” to secure loans," Gupta said explaining the accused persons' modus operandi.
Police seized seven laptops, 13 mobile phones and a car from the site, total value of which is estimated at Rs 30 lakh.
In a second operation, the CB team led by Inspector Manguesh Valvaikar raided another suspected call centre in a villa in Dona Paula and arrested 10 persons from Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Maharashtra.
SP Gupta said the group used Google Voice applications on laptops connected through EthernetXpress internet lines to place calls to victims in the United States.
As in the first case, the callers allegedly promised loans and immediate cash assistance, only to demand payments in gift cards.
The team seized eight laptops, 11 mobile phones, networking equipment and three vehicles worth Rs 64.7 lakh approx.
