CBI books 11 from Gujarat for defrauding US citizens via con call centers

Ahmedabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched an investigation into several individuals, including 11 from Gujarat, for allegedly defrauding U.S. citizens through call centers. Last week, the CBI conducted searches at 32 locations across the country, including Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Vishakhapatnam, after registering a case against 22 people.

According to the CBI FIR filed on September 24, the accused from Gujarat include Divyang Raval, a New Naroda resident with businesses in Vishakhapatnam and Pune; his partner Kartik Patel from New Ranip; Takshil Shah and Sahil Vanzara from Naroda; Akash Shankhla from Odhav; and Tirth Patel from Dhansura in Aravalli.

Others named in the FIR include Vikas Nimar from Nana Chiloda, who operates a firm in Vishakhapatnam; his partner Hitesh Vijayvargiya; Pritesh Patel from Khodiyar; Irfan Ansari from Vatva; and Ashmat Shaikh from Ramol.

The FIR alleges that Raval and his associates, in collaboration with other accused individuals, have been running call centers under the guise of information technology firms in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam, and Pune since June 2024.

During the searches, “951 items have been seized, including electronic devices, mobile phones, laptops, financial information, communication records, and incriminating material used by this cybercrime network for criminal activity and to defraud victims. Additionally, ₹58.45 lakh in cash, locker keys, and three luxury vehicles have been recovered,” the central agency said.

So far, the central agency has arrested 26 key suspects, including 10 from Pune, five from Hyderabad, and 11 from Vishakhapatnam. The investigation and questioning regarding the roles of other workers in the illegal call centers are ongoing, the official added.

As per the FIR, on July 28, one of the accused targeted a man in the U.S., falsely claiming that a criminal investigation had been initiated against him and that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had been informed about suspicious transactions in his bank account. They convinced the victim to transfer $20,000 to a designated account to prove his innocence.

The investigation also revealed that another victim in the U.S. was targeted on July 11 and was similarly persuaded to transfer $20,000, resulting in fraud. On July 23, another U.S. victim was targeted online and was made to deposit cryptocurrency (BTC) worth $15,000 into the wallet of one of the accused.

The cybercriminals targeted in this operation were involved in a range of illicit activities, including impersonating tech support services and approaching victims, especially in the U.S., under the pretext that the victims’ systems had been hacked. Victims were led to believe that their identities had been stolen and that a large number of unauthorized transactions were being made in their bank accounts. They were falsely convinced that they were under surveillance by law enforcement agencies due to suspicious orders allegedly placed by them. The cybercriminals then induced victims to transfer their bank holdings into new accounts provided by the criminals in the guise of safeguarding their finances. In some instances, the cybercriminals intimidated victims into transferring funds to them through international gift cards or cryptocurrency. Extensive wrongful losses were incurred by the victims targeted by this criminal network.

Investigations into the broader network and international leads are ongoing in close coordination with HSI (USA) and other foreign law enforcement agencies. As part of the larger ongoing OPERATION CHAKRA-III, the International Operations Division of the CBI has been rapidly identifying and taking action against organized technology-enabled crime networks in close concert with INTERPOL and foreign law enforcement agencies. DeshGujarat