Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Journalism of Courage
Fake call centre racket duping people on pretext of insurance policy busted, seven arrested
According to the police, the accused used to impersonate officials of reputed insurance companies and contact victims over phone.
The case came to light after a resident of Kalka was cheated of Rs 1,97,500.
The Cyber Crime Police Station of Panchkula has claimed to have busted an organised inter-state cyber fraud racket that was allegedly operating a fake call centre from Delhi and duping people on the pretext of insurance policy maturity.
Seven accused have been arrested in the case, and nine mobile phones, 10 cheque books, and 10 ATM cards have been recovered from their possession, police said.
According to the police, the accused used to impersonate officials of reputed insurance companies and contact victims over phone. By sharing accurate details of their policies, they would gain the victims trust and then convince them to transfer money in the name of the final premium installment and tax payments.
The case came to light after a resident of Kalka was cheated of Rs 1,97,500. The victim was first asked to deposit Rs 98,000 as the final installment and later Rs 99,500 as tax in different bank accounts. Upon suspicion, the victim contacted the concerned company’s office in Chandigarh and discovered that he had been duped. He then lodged a complaint on the cyber portal, following which a case was registered on April 9.
DCP (Crime and Traffic) Amarinder Singh said that during the investigation, the cyber crime team led by in-charge Yudhvir Singh traced the entire network using technical inputs. It was found that the racket was being operated from Delhi using fake SIM cards, rented bank accounts and a call centre setup.
Acting on the leads, the police team led by investigating officer Abhishek Chhillar conducted a raid in Delhi on April 27 and arrested four accused —Amandeep Singh, alias Aman, Gurdeep Singh, Ashichandra Gupta and Tanzeer Ansari.
During interrogation, the involvement of three more accused surfaced.
The three — Ejaz Haider, Kartavyapuri and Suraj — were already lodged in Sunaria Jail, Rohtak, in another case. They were brought on production warrants for questioning, a police official said.
Story continues below this ad
Police said Ejaz Haider is a resident of Uttar Pradesh, while Tanzeer Ansari belongs to Bihar. The remaining accused are residents of Delhi, and all of them were jointly running the fake call centre.
The four arrested accused have been sent to judicial custody, while the other three have been sent back to Sunaria Jail.
Panchkula Police Commissioner and ADGP Cyber Sibash Kabiraj said that cyber fraudsters are increasingly using organised methods to exploit personal data, but the police are committed to tracking and dismantling such networks.
He asserted that strict legal action will be taken against those targeting the hard-earned money of citizens and urged people to remain vigilant to avoid falling victim to such scams.
Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
Advertisement
Live Blog