Searches at four premises in Patiala, Pune and Chandigarh on Sept 15 uncovered two operating call centres in Patiala and one in Pune, with around 220 people present
Seized digital records show 927 approved collections totalling about ₹261 crore between July 2025 and Sept 2026, the agency said. Prime accused Harshil Nayanbhai Raval, Jaswant Singh, Chetan Munjal and Pranav Pithadia were arrested on Nov 3 under Section 19(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Vikas Nimar, arrested on July 27, Tarachand Nimar, arrested on Aug 5, and Mohd. Irfan Ansari, arrested on Aug 10, remain lodged in Chanchalguda Central Prison.
Hyderabad: Enforcement Directorate ’s Hyderabad zonal office has arrested four more people in a fake call centre racket accused of collecting cash, gold and other payments from Americans by impersonating US govt officers. A special PMLA court at Nampally remanded all four to judicial custody, taking the total arrests to seven.
Forensic examination of 79 digital devices yielded chats, ledgers, calling data, victim records and cryptocurrency wallets. ED identified 397 US bank accounts across at least 15 banks used to receive victims’ money.
Separate preliminary investigation revealed assets identified for examination at an estimated ₹400 crore, including land and properties in Chandigarh and in crypto wallets being examined for possible provisional attachment.
ED said it was tracing further proceeds and examining the involvement of other people and entities. The accused has put the money in crypto wallets like USDT and Binance and moving them from one country to other to Singapore and South Korea. The investigation concerns alleged cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy through India-based call centres targeting US residents. Fake paperwork: DOJ seizure and lien notices, Treasury assurance letters, asset-forfeiture notices, a US Court of Appeals order and legal notices purportedly from the FTC and US Supreme Court