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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) busted a cyber fraud and financial crime syndicate operating out of Pune and Mumbai that targeted foreign nationals — particularly American citizens — through impersonation, phishing calls, and financial deception.
CBI registered a case on Thursday against “unknown public servants of Banks and four private persons” for allegedly “running an illegal call centre in Pune, operating since January 2025” in the form of a well-organised criminal conspiracy.
So far the CBI has arrested three persons in this case. They were produced before a special court for CBI cases in Mumbai. The court remanded the three to police custody till July 30.
As per a press release issued by the CBI on Friday, the fraudsters impersonated officials from agencies such as the “U.S Internal Revenue Service (IRS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and even the Indian High Commission” to defraud unsuspecting US citizens.
”Under the threat of legal action, the victims were coerced into paying amounts ranging from $ 500 to $ 3,000 through gift cards or Bitcoin transfers. Spoofed VoIP-based calls were being made from a covertly operated illegal Call Centre situated at Pune,” the press release mentioned.
CBI probe into this case revealed that the illegally earned proceeds, estimated to be around Rs 4 crore monthly, were laundered via mule accounts, cryptocurrency, and hawala routes.
According to the CBI, the fraudulent operations were found to be supported by certain unknown public and private sector bank officials, who facilitate the opening and operation of fake accounts using forged KYC documents, violating established RBI and institutional guidelines.
Probe also revealed that workers at the Call Centre used for the scam are paid in cash routed via hawala channels from both the U.S. and domestic locations, including Maharashtra and Gujarat. These workers are housed in multiple residential flats across Pune.
“The scam’s operation includes the illegal acquisition of contact leads through vendors on messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Signal. Victims are contacted via toll-free numbers generated and disseminated by these vendors, eventually connecting them to the fraudulent call centre,” the press release stated.
After the case was registered, CBI teams conducted searches at seven places linked to the accused or their associates. CBI also raided and searched the illegal call centre run by the accused persons at Pune.
CBI seized digital devices like 27 mobile phones, 17 laptops and other incriminating material from the accused persons and their associates at the Pune call centre.
“Scrutiny of these mobile phones and laptops revealed that the accused persons were using caller services found on social media platforms like Signal and WhatsApp. Besides, unexplained cash of Rs.1.6 lakhs and around 150 gram narcotic substance was also seized from the residence of one of the accused… Scrutiny of the mobile phone of an accused has revealed that he has crypto currency worth Rs.6.94 lakh in his wallet. During the search at the residence of another accused unexplained cash of Rs.9.60 lakh was recovered” the press release stated.
