Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
Journalism of Courage
This is an archive article published on January 29, 2025
Fake call centre busted: Gujarat Cybercrime Cell arrests 5 in Mumbai for duping people
The caller allegedly enticed the complainant with profits and conviced him to invest in certain companies listed on the stock market.
The Cybercrime Cell tracked the phone numbers of the accused and traced them to D-Wing of JP North Aviva on Mira Road in Mumbai's Thane (Archives)
The Gujarat Cybercrime Cell Wednesday said it has arrested five members of a gang, which was running a fake call centre in Mumbai. The arrest was made based on a complaint received on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), it said.
An FIR had been filed based on the complaint of one Ashok Kanti Patel from Surendranagar. He had received a call from a person who allegedly identified himself as a broker of a firm named Share Analyst. The caller allegedly enticed the complainant with profits and conviced him to invest in certain companies listed on the stock market.
The caller initially asked him to invest small amounts and then gave him a “return” by depositing Rs 35,000 in his bank account. Having developed the victim’s trust, the accused convinced him to invest in “offline trading” for “higher returns”. The victim ended up transferring a total of Rs 9.5 lakh. However, after he stopped receiving further “returns”, the complaint realised that it was a trap and filed the complaint on NCRP.
The Cybercrime Cell tracked the phone numbers of the accused and traced them to D-Wing of JP North Aviva on Mira Road in Mumbai’s Thane.
A police team from Gandhinagar reached the premises, raided it, and arrested the accused, identified as Shaikh Mohammad Jahid Allahrakha, Shakilkhan Yakubkhan Chauhan, Faizan Mohammad Khalid Mohammad Chauhan, Mohammad Junaid Allaudin Shaikh and Ramiz Nasir Sipai. All five are residents of Mehsana.
The police also seized 13 mobile phones, 4 debit cards and recovered a list of potential victims.
In a statement Wednesday, the Cybercrime Cell said that investigation revealed that the accused hid their identities and obtain SIM cards on false names. They would call people and dupe them by convincing them to invest in the stock market. They were booked for cheating and fraud under relevant sections of the IPC and the IT Act.
Story continues below this ad
Detective PI PD Makwana said that the accused are part of an inter-state gang, which would make sure their victims do not approach the police.
The officer said, “After duping their victims, the accused would begin threatening them claiming that all their trades were illegal. Fearing arrest, the victims would not approach the police.”
“We believe these accused have entrapped several people from several states, but the victims are not coming forward due to the empty threats. But we urge people to come forward and file complaints,” Makwana added.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
Advertisement
Live Blog
Advertisement