Noida, Jul 16 (PTI) The Noida Police has busted a fake call centre that was allegedly duping US citizens and arrested 12 people, including the mastermind behind the operation, a senior official said on Wednesday.
Police have seized 16 mobile phones, 10 laptops, nine laptop chargers, nine headphones, an internet router and other electronic equipment from the accused, he added.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida Zone) Yamuna Prasad said based on secret information, a team from the Expressway police station raided the 17th floor of the "J P Cosmos Building" on Tuesday night and busted the fake call centre.
He said the mastermind of the gang has been identified as Mustafa Sheikh, a resident of Mumbai who studied up till Class 10.
Apart from Sheikh, the others arrested have been identified as Chineve, Dinesh Pandey, Sohil Azmil, Umar Samsi, Kalpesh Sharma, Aftab Qureshi, Vidov, Ram Sewak, Satyanarayan Mandal, Thijno Luto and Nibule Akami.
Explaining their method of fraud, the DCP said, "The gang used to purchase data of US citizens through Google apps. Based on this data, they sent emails offering gift vouchers in exchange for loans."
"When someone responded to the email seeking a loan, they were asked to pay USD 300 in the name of a processing fee. The accused would remain in contact with the victims until the money was converted into Indian currency," he added.
The gang had targeted around 150 US citizens. A case has been registered against the accused under relevant legal provisions and further investigation is underway, the DCP said.