In a first-of-its-kind operation, the Thane police rounded up more than 700 people on Mira Road, working in nearly half a dozen call centres for a mega online fraud, whereby they targeted loan defaulters in the United States and extorted money from them.
More than 200 police officers and men from the Crime Branch-CID of Thane police were involved in the operation that was launched on Tuesday night and is still continuing. "It is a major operation and investigations are continuing," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ashutosh Dhumre said on Wednesday evening.
Sections of Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act are being invoked against the accused. The illegal network of call centres had duped 6,000 to 6,500 US citizens.
Police had detained 770 people, of whom 70 were released. The rest are being questioned, a senior police official said, adding that the owners - around nine of them - too are with the police.
Those arrested include employees and floor managers. These youths were trained in-house to speak with an American accent. Those detained include about 30 women. Electronic goods worth Rs 1 crore have been seized and these include around 80 hard disks.
The modus operandi of the call centre employees was to pose as officials of US Revenue Services.
They would call up US citizens and speaking with an American accent, they would demand their financial and bank details.
If the victims refused the information, they would allegedly threaten them with dire consequences, including legal action and penalties.
After obtaining the details, they would siphon off money from their accounts. "The group would contact loan defaulters, who were obliged to cooperate as the callers posed as revenue officials," police said, adding that the fraud has "international ramifications". The mode of money or commission transfer are also being probed.
DH News Service
It's an international fraud: Thane CP
Describing the Mira Road fake call centres as part of an "international racket", Thane Police chief Parambir Singh said that if needed details would be shared with other countries. "This was our information. Our officers and men worked on the information...there was no tip off from any country," Singh said, adding that the investigation was still in progress. "It is a racket...they were into forgery, cheating and extortion," he said.
Describing the Mira Road fake call centres as part of an "international racket", Thane Police chief Parambir Singh said that if needed details would be shared with other countries. "This was our information. Our officers and men worked on the information...there was no tip off from any country," Singh said, adding that the investigation was still in progress. "It is a racket...they were into forgery, cheating and extortion," he said.
*Total fake call centres: 9
*Number of buildings raided: 3
*Persons detained: 700 plus
*Policemen involved in raid, investigation: 200
In a first-of-its-kind operation, the Thane police rounded up more than 700 people on Mira Road, working in nearly half a dozen call centres for a mega online fraud, whereby they targeted loan defaulters in the United States and extorted money from them.
More than 200 police officers and men from the Crime Branch-CID of Thane police were involved in the operation that was launched on Tuesday night and is still continuing. "It is a major operation and investigations are continuing,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ashutosh Dhumre said on Wednesday evening.
Sections of Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act are being invoked against the accused. The illegal network of call centres had duped 6,000 to 6,500 US citizens.
Police had detained 770 people, of whom 70 were released. The rest are being questioned, a senior police official said, adding that the owners - around nine of them - too are with the police.
Those arrested include employees and floor managers. These youths were trained in-house to speak with an American accent. Those detained include about 30 women. Electronic goods worth Rs 1 crore have been seized and these include around 80 hard disks.
The modus operandi of the call centre employees was to pose as officials of US Revenue Services.
They would call up US citizens and speaking with an American accent, they would demand their financial and bank details.
If the victims refused the information, they would allegedly threaten them with dire consequences, including legal action and penalties.
After obtaining the details, they would siphon off money from their accounts. "The group would contact loan defaulters, who were obliged to cooperate as the callers posed as revenue officials,” police said, adding that the fraud has "international ramifications”. The mode of money or commission transfer are also being probed.
DH News Service
It’s an international fraud: Thane CP
Describing the Mira Road fake call centres as part of an "international racket”, Thane Police chief Parambir Singh said that if needed details would be shared with other countries. "This was our information. Our officers and men worked on the information...there was no tip off from any country,” Singh said, adding that the investigation was still in progress. "It is a racket...they were into forgery, cheating and extortion,” he said.
Describing the Mira Road fake call centres as part of an "international racket”, Thane Police chief Parambir Singh said that if needed details would be shared with other countries. "This was our information. Our officers and men worked on the information...there was no tip off from any country,” Singh said, adding that the investigation was still in progress. "It is a racket...they were into forgery, cheating and extortion,” he said.
*Total fake call centres: 9
*Number of buildings raided: 3
*Persons detained: 700 plus
*Policemen involved in raid, investigation: 200