Belagavi Police Raid Illegal Call Centre: 33 Arrested in International Cyber Fraud Targeting US Citizens

The arrested individuals came from nine different Indian states and Nepal.

Bengaluru:

Karnataka's Belagavi police conducted a raid on an illegal international fraud call centre that was targeting American citizens and extracting substantial amounts of money through elaborate cyber scams. Police officials confirmed that the operation was initiated following intelligence provided by the Security Division in Bengaluru regarding suspicious activities at the facility.

The fraudulent call centre was functioning from a location on Bauxite Road in Belagavi. During the raid, authorities apprehended 33 individuals – 28 males and 5 females – who were operating the scam.

The arrested individuals originated from nine Indian states including Assam, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Several Nepalese nationals were also among those detained.

During the operation, law enforcement seized 37 laptops and 37 mobile phones, along with computer systems containing VoIP software and Urban VPN configurations designed to disguise call origins and make them appear as if originating from US-based numbers.

Investigations uncovered that the network employed 11 different script-based models to defraud American citizens. The operators received training using detailed written scripts on how to communicate with US victims and manipulate them into transferring money.

According to police reports, the masterminds behind this operation are based in Gujarat and West Bengal. Authorities are actively working to apprehend them soon.

Belagavi Police Commissioner Borse Bhushan Gulabra stated that police would collaborate with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Interpol to contact the affected US citizens and document their statements.

A case has been registered under sections 66C, 66D, and 75 of the IT Act; section 319 of the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) for cheating; sections 48 and 49 of the BNS for offenses committed outside India; and section 42 of the Telecommunication Act.