Punjab Police Busts Two Fake Call Centres, Arrests 10 Individuals Involved in Foreign National Duping Scheme

Strategic Insights -

Punjab Police's Anti-Narcotics-cum-Special Operations Cell claimed to have busted two fake call centres in Mohali, arresting 10 individuals allegedly involved in duping foreign nationals using fraudulent tactics. The accused operated from the fake call centres, using laptops and computers to scam people abroad. Police recovered several electronic devices, luxury vehicles, and personal data related to the victims.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Special Operations Cell busted two fake call centres in Manchanda Tower, Phase 7, Mohali, and arrested 10 individuals allegedly involved in duping foreign nationals.
  • The accused used email blasting via PayPal to send alerts to foreign nationals that their accounts had been hacked or used for illegal transactions.
  • Victims were convinced to provide Apple gift cards, which were later converted into USDT or hawala transfers, eventually withdrawing funds in cash in India.
  • The second team ran a fake call centre under the guise of a travel company, luring foreign nationals through a fake website advertising discounted air tickets.
  • The gang collected victims' credit and debit card details and charged them via illegally registered payment gateways, ultimately defrauding them without issuing tickets.

Statistics:

  • 5 laptops, 14 mobile phones, headphones, and luxury vehicles (including a Fortuner, Honda Jazz, and Hyundai Verna) were seized from the accused.
  • 4 CPUs, 4 headphones, and 5 mobile phones were recovered from the second call centre's manager.
  • 10 individuals, including the owners and staff members of the fake call centres, were arrested.
  • The accused used email blasting to send alerts to 1000s of foreign nationals.

Sources:

  • Express News Service
  • Rupinder Deep Kaur Sohi, DSP of the Special Operations Cell
  • Contify.com
  • IE Online Media Services Pvt. Ltd. (2025)