In a major crackdown on cybercrime, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) dismantled an illegal call centre operating out of a rented resort in Igatpuri on Friday. The operation led to the arrest of five Mumbai-based individuals and the recovery of Rs1.2 crore in unaccounted cash, 500 grams of gold, and seven luxury vehicles valued at Rs1 crore.
The prime accused, Vishal Yadav, along with Shebaz, Durgesh, Abhay Raj alias Raja, and Sameer alias Kalia-Sohail, allegedly posed as Amazon customer service agents and even as law enforcement officials to scam unsuspecting US and Canadian citizens. The gang had recruited 62 employees who were assigned roles such as diallers, verifiers, and closers to run the fraudulent call centre.
CBI officials seized 44 laptops, 71 mobile phones, and a large cache of digital evidence during the raid. The team also uncovered financial trails including 5,000 USDT in cryptocurrency (worth approximately Rs5 lakh) and Canadian gift vouchers worth Rs1.3 lakh, suspected to be proceeds from the fraud.
The agency has filed a case accusing the group of impersonation, financial fraud, and cybercrime. According to the investigation, the accused were scamming foreign nationals by conducting phishing operations and laundering the gains through cryptocurrency and digital gift cards.
This bust comes shortly after a similar CBI operation last month in Pune and Mumbai, where another cyber fraud ring was dismantled. That group, also targeting US citizens while impersonating government officials, was reportedly raking in Rs4 crore per month. It was revealed that fake bank accounts were being used with the help of complicit officials, and US-based associates had been supplying victim data.
The CBI continues to crack down on such international fraud networks with growing digital sophistication.
