The Crime Investigation Department (CID) has successfully busted a call centre extortion racket in Ahmedabad, involving the exploitation of foreign citizens, particularly Americans. The operation, run from Ramol, was traced back to Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, where 40 telecallers were employed to deceive victims.
The scammers posed as Amazon representatives, informing American citizens about fraudulent orders placed on their accounts due to cyberattacks. Victims were then coerced into purchasing gift cards, cryptocurrencies, or Walmart barcodes, losing up to Rs2,000 per transaction. These amounts were converted into Indian currency via Chinese processors or Bitcoin.
The CID arrested Sagar Patel, his partner Abhishek Banvir, Hardip Nandaniya, telecom data provider Hardik Patel, Jaivik Sudani, and Hiren Patel. The mastermind, Uday Shetty, is still at large. The police also seized 13 mobile phones, three expensive cars, and valuables worth Rs48 lakh from the suspects