Delhi Police’s Special Cell has arrested 18 individuals, including call centre employees from Delhi and Gurugram, for orchestrating a multi-crore financial fraud syndicate targeting SBI credit card customers nationwide. The operation, led by masterminds Ankit Rathi, Waseem, and Vishal Bhardwaj, involved misuse of sensitive data to defraud victims across several states, resulting in estimated losses of over Rs 2.6 crore.
According to Vinit Kumar, DCP of the Special Cell’s Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations (IFSO) Unit, the syndicate’s arrest marks a significant milestone in dismantling complex cybercrime operations. Over the six-month investigation, police seized 52 mobile phones, multiple SIM cards, and critical customer bank details from a call centre operating in Dwarka, South West Delhi.
Key members Vishesh Lahori (alias Paji) and Durgesh Dhakad, insiders at the Teleperformance call centre in Gurugram, acted as data brokers, leaking sensitive information since 2019. The syndicate impersonated SBI customer care agents to fraudulently obtain One-Time Passwords (OTPs) and Card Verification Values (CVVs) from unsuspecting cardholders.
These stolen credentials were then used to buy electronic gift cards on travel booking platforms, which facilitated the purchase of domestic airline tickets, according to the police. Field operatives such as Rahul Vishwakarma, Pawan Bisht, Kailash Purohit (alias Kabir), Himanshu Chugh (alias Babu), and Ravin Saini executed phishing calls and targeted victims.
Finance handlers Akhilesh Lakhotia and Harsh Chauhan laundered the proceeds by converting them into cryptocurrency or cash, while Shivam Sehrawat supplied multiple SIM cards to aid their operations.
The investigation revealed systemic data breaches within Teleperformance, a major Gurugram call centre, raising concerns about its security protocols. Since 2019, employees have been leaking confidential banking data, exposing not only the company’s vulnerabilities but also creating significant financial risks for India’s banking sector.
This high-profile bust sends a strong message about the need for improved cyber security and monitoring in critical data-handling organizations.
