International Loan Scam: Mulund Call Centre Busted by Mumbai Police
In a significant crackdown, the Mumbai Police unearthed a sophisticated fake call centre operating from a rented row house in Mulund, specifically designed to defraud foreign nationals. The operation led to the arrest of five individuals who are accused of systematically cheating citizens of the United States and Canada by posing as officials from a legitimate US-based lending organization.
The Modus Operandi: How the Scam Worked
According to Senior Inspector Ajah Joshi of the Mulund police station, the group was acting on a specific tip-off. The accused, led by a man named Sagar Gupta, were pretending to be representatives of a lending firm called "Lending point". Their method was calculated and tech-savvy. They utilized international e-SIM cards to send out mass messages and voice mails to potential victims across the US and Canada, offering them immediate, short-term loans.
Police officials revealed that the scam had a surprisingly high callback rate. "Of the 200 messages sent, around 100 people would call back," said Inspector Joshi. To build credibility, Sagar Gupta, who was trained to speak with an American accent, would handle these calls. The victims were first asked to pay a nominal processing fee of 90 to 100 US dollars. Once hooked, more money was extracted from them under various pretexts.
Zonal DCP Rakesh Ola added a crucial detail about their deceptive tactics. "In order to gain the trust of foreign nationals, loan approval documents were shown, in which each loan case received a unique application number," he stated. This professional-looking paperwork made the fraudulent operation appear genuine to the unsuspecting targets.
Surat Connection and Police Investigation
The investigation took an interesting turn when it was discovered that this was not a first-time venture for most of the accused. During interrogation, it emerged that four out of the five arrested individuals had previously worked at a similar fraudulent call centre in Surat. Having learned the tricks of the trade there, they decided to replicate the successful scam model in Mumbai.
Earlier this month, they took a row house in Mulund Colony on a monthly rent of Rs 23,000 to set up their illegal operation. A police officer involved in the case mentioned that critical resources like the customer database and the e-SIM cards were supplied by the owner of the Surat-based call centre, whom the authorities are now actively searching for.
Following the raid conducted on a Tuesday, the police seized significant evidence from the location. The recovered items included two laptops, eleven mobile phones, two routers, and Rs 76,000 in cash. The five accused were presented before a local court on Wednesday and have been remanded to police custody for further questioning.
Conclusion and Ongoing Probe
This bust highlights a growing trend of cyber-financial frauds originating from Indian soil targeting international victims. The use of advanced technology like e-SIMs and professionally crafted fake documents makes it challenging for victims to distinguish these scams from legitimate services. The Mumbai Police's proactive action has prevented further financial damage, but the hunt for the mastermind from Surat continues. This case serves as a stern warning to other such rackets operating in the city and underscores the need for public vigilance against too-good-to-be-true online financial offers.
