Naroda police in Ahmedabad have dismantled an illegal call centre operating from a shop in Hanspura. The operation led to the arrest of seven individuals, including two women. The suspects allegedly targeted US citizens, posing as bank lawyers and offering low-cost loan settlements. This crackdown highlights ongoing efforts to combat fraudulent activities that exploit vulnerable individuals in the financial sector.
Police seized seven laptops, eight mobile phones and other electronic equipment worth around Rs 2.6 lakh during the raid. Around 50% of the proceeds was allegedly received by Zalahar in Bitcoin through a crypto wallet.
Zalahar, the alleged mastermind, had obtained data containing email addresses of US citizens and distributed leads among his employees, according to police. Investigators said the stolen money was routed through different vendors. Police said the accused contacted Telegram groups to convert the cryptocurrency into Indian currency and later collected the money through angadia channels.
The raid was conducted at a shop on the first floor of Sahitya Arcade after police received a tip-off. Those arrested are: Jignesh Zalahar, Devang Sapkal, Sushil Tomar, Dev Vaishnav, Imtihehen Charmyard, Priti Patel and Vaishali Vedhani. The accused allegedly sent scripted emails, posing as lawyers representing various banks and offering to settle loans at reduced amounts.
Zone 4 DCP Atul Bansal said, “The accused had sent bulk messages to around 10 lakh people, and more than 200 are suspected to have fallen victim so far. The fraud amount is estimated at around $50 to $100 per victim. Once a recipient responded, Zalahar would allegedly take over the conversation and persuade the victim to share credit card details on the promise of a cheaper loan settlement. The details were then allegedly used to siphon off money from victims’ accounts.