The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided 13 call centres in Ahmedabad involved in cyber-enabled crimes. The cybercriminals were allegedly extracting tax payments from foreign nationals, worth ₹157 crore.

Cyber criminals in Ahmedabad  

Navrangpura-based private company’s director Gaurav Gupta, Praveen Kumar, and other people used to make fraudulent calls via voice over internet protocol (VoIP), posing as officials, and received lakhs of funds from foreign citizens, as per a complaint filed in CBI.

According to CBI officials, a case was filed on July 7, 2022, claiming that multiple call centres in India had utilised the services of a Gujarat-based VoIP company to conduct millions of fraudulent calls targeting US citizens.

Acting on a tip-off from international agencies, CBI further investigated the matter and carried out nationwide operations.

Ahmedabad’s fraudulent call centres

It came to light that various private call centres made international calls, including Delhi-based BPO Solution Pvt Ltd and four Ahmedabad-based call centres: Shivaay Communication at Palladium building in Makarba; SM Technomine Pvt Ltd at Atma House on Ashram Road, run by Sanket Modi and others; and Technomine Info Solutions at Mondeal Square in Prahladnagar, run by Rajiv Solanki and others.

Operation Chakra

On Nov 22, a CBI spokesperson said that the agency, as part of ‘Operation Chakra 1’, conducted searches in an ongoing investigation of a case at around 24 locations across multiple states, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Gujarat, which led to the recovery of cash of ₹2.2 crore, foreign currency, cryptocurrency accounts, property papers, and other incriminating evidence.

The group, allegedly run by an individual named Sushil Sachdeva and his associates, were targeting gullible foreigners through fraudulent schemes.

The official said that the initial phase of investigations under the CBI’s Operation Chakra in October 2022 led to searches conducted earlier at 11 such call centres or entities.

The FBI also informed the CBI that the accused in this case had already faced indictments in the US for similar fraudulent activities against American citizens, the official said. Earlier, a charge sheet was filed by the CBI against another accused.

The official said that the CBI diligently continues to identify and dismantle any transnational cyber fraud networks operated from India in collaboration with international counterparts.

(With inputs from IANS)

For more such updates and news on the go, follow us on Instagram | YouTube | Facebook