Ahmedabad, Sep 23 — An alleged illegal call centre that targeted foreign nationals by posing as bank lawyers and offering loan settlements at reduced rates was busted by Naroda Police in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, with seven people, including two women, apprehended and equipment worth Rs 2.60 lakh seized, officials said on Wednesday.
Acting on a tip-off received during patrolling, a Naroda Police team raided Shop No. 112 on the first floor of Sahitya Arcade near Rajchandra Circle in Naroda-Hanspura area, where Jignesh Zalavar was allegedly operating the call centre with other persons.
Police said seven people — five men and two women — were found at the premises.
The arrested persons were identified as Jignesh Zalavar, 40, who was listed as a businessman; Devang Sapkal, 20; Sushil Tomar, 19; Dev Vaishnav, 20; Imtiheen Chamyard, 30; Preetiben Patel, 42; and Vaishali Vedhani, 25.
The latter six were listed as working in data entry handlers. According to police, the alleged operation was headed by Jignesh Zalavar, who obtained bank lead data relating to foreign nationals through Microsoft Teams.
He allegedly posed as a bank lawyer and contacted the targets with offers to settle loans at lower amounts. Police said the accused then allegedly obtained credit-card details from the victims.
The details were subsequently sent to vendors through WhatsApp and Telegram, following which money was allegedly withdrawn from the accounts.
Police said 50 per cent of the proceeds were received through Bitcoin, while the remaining amount was allegedly collected in cash through hawala channels.
During the raid, police seized seven laptops valued at Rs 1.30 lakh, eight mobile phones worth Rs 1.20 lakh, one keyboard worth Rs 300, one mouse worth Rs 200, one CPU worth Rs 3,000, one desktop computer worth Rs 5,000 and two routers worth Rs 2,000.
The total value of the seized material was put at Rs 2,60,500.
Naroda Police Station registered a case under Sections 61(2)(a), 318(4), 319(2) and 54 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.
Police said further legal action was being taken in the case.