Noida Police Cracks Down on Fake Call Centre Operation
Police in Noida have successfully dismantled a fraudulent call centre operating from Sector 6. Officers arrested five individuals during a raid conducted on Friday. The accused allegedly cheated hundreds of people by offering fake real estate investment opportunities and fraudulent insurance policies.
Months-Long Scam Uncovered
Investigators revealed that the call centre had been active for several months. The accused managed to deceive approximately 500 victims from various states across India. They used sophisticated tactics to lure their targets with promises of quick insurance policy maturity, refunds for lapsed policies, and guaranteed returns on real estate investments.
During the raid, police confiscated significant evidence. They seized one laptop, sixteen mobile phones, a printer, and forty-five call data sheets. These sheets contained detailed information about both potential and existing victims.
Intelligence Leads to Raid
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Shavya Goyal explained the operation's origin. Police received specific intelligence about a fake call centre running from a rented house in Sector 6. A team from the Phase-1 police station verified this information before conducting the decisive raid.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Anuj, Rakesh Kumar, Manish Mandal, Shubham Saxena, and Shahzad Ahmad. Police identified Anuj, a resident of Bhangel, as the mastermind behind the entire operation.
Financial Trail and Frozen Assets
The investigation uncovered four bank accounts linked to the accused. These accounts contained approximately eighty lakh rupees, which police have now frozen. The gang used fraudulently acquired bank accounts to receive money from their victims. They would later withdraw these funds and distribute the money among themselves.
Deceptive Methods Revealed
DCP Goyal detailed the gang's modus operandi. The accused would contact people while pretending to be representatives of legitimate insurance companies, banks, or investment advisory firms. They specifically targeted individuals with lapsed insurance policies, offering to recover their money or mature policies quickly.
To build trust with their victims, the fraudsters used forged documents, fake schemes, and carefully prepared scripts. They persuaded people to invest sums ranging from five thousand rupees to one lakh rupees.
Widespread Complaints and Deliberate Targeting
Police discovered that multiple complaints against the accused were already registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. These complaints came from different states, indicating the scam network had a nationwide reach. Investigators believe the gang deliberately targeted people from other states, knowing these victims would find it difficult to travel to Noida to pursue their complaints.
Ongoing Investigation
Assistant Commissioner of Police Swatantra Singh provided updates on the continuing investigation. Police are currently verifying the criminal records of all arrested individuals. They are also questioning the landlord of the rented premises, for which the accused were paying around forty thousand rupees per month.
Further investigation aims to trace the source of the insurance-related data used by the gang. Police are working to identify other possible associates who might be involved in this extensive scam network.
