Ahmedabad: The Cyber Centre of Excellence of Gujarat CID Crime has busted an interstate cyber fraud racket that allegedly duped thousands of people across the country by selling fake Ayurvedic sexual wellness medicines online and later extorting money through threats.

Acting on specific intelligence, the CID Crime team raided a call centre in Ahmedabad’s Vastral area on July 10 and uncovered what investigators described as a well-organised fraud network. Police believe the gang targeted around 4,000 to 5,000 victims across India and cheated them of crores of rupees through deception and cyber-enabled extortion.

Seven people, including the alleged mastermind Devendra Rajawat from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh and a woman, have been arrested. Simultaneous raids were also carried out in Uttar Pradesh, and legal action has been initiated against all the accused.

According to investigators, the accused promoted so-called Ayurvedic sexual wellness products through Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms using misleading claims such as “100% guaranteed sexual power enhancement,” “Ayurvedic treatment,” and “performance-enhancing medicine.”

Once customers responded to the advertisements, call centre executives allegedly posed as doctors or medical experts and persuaded them to purchase the products. Orders were placed online and delivered through courier and postal services.

However, investigators said the real fraud began after the medicines were delivered and payment was made. Customers allegedly started receiving threatening calls from people impersonating police officers, doctors and government officials. They were falsely told that the medicines they had purchased were banned drugs and that criminal cases had been registered against them.

To make the threats appear genuine, the accused allegedly used fake FIR references mentioning local police stations and district Superintendents of Police based on the victim’s address. Victims were then pressured to pay a “settlement amount” to avoid arrest and legal action.

Police said many victims, fearing police action and social embarrassment, transferred amounts ranging from ₹2,000 to ₹1 lakh. Even customers who refused to accept delivery of the medicines were allegedly threatened with fabricated criminal cases and forced to make payments.

Investigators said the Ahmedabad call centre served as the operational hub of the nationwide racket. Digital evidence indicates that the gang had developed a systematic process to identify and target victims across India. The accused were reportedly spending around ₹30,000 every day on social media advertisements to attract customers.

Analysis of seized computers and electronic devices revealed a large database containing details of thousands of potential customers, which was allegedly used for targeted marketing and follow-up extortion.

The investigation has also found that the gang was planning to set up another similar call centre in Bidhuna, Uttar Pradesh, suggesting plans to expand the operation.

During the raid, the CID Crime team seized 44 mobile phones, 23 CPUs, two laptops, one monitor, three caller-ID telephones, three pen drives, five bank passbooks, a cheque book, a QR code, caller scripts, two cartons of energy-boosting medicines and five fake rubber stamps bearing the names of Tanvi Enterprises, Aswani Ayurved, DR Ayurved and Ayurshakti Ayurved.

Officials said the seized material is expected to provide crucial digital evidence about the scale and functioning of the racket.

Investigators have so far identified 14 bank accounts linked to the accused, with suspicious transactions exceeding ₹5 crore under scrutiny. They also found six complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) against these accounts, including one from Delhi, two from Rajasthan and three from Uttar Pradesh, indicating victims were spread across multiple states.

Based on the digital evidence recovered, investigators believe the actual number of victims could be much higher, as the accused had access to databases containing thousands of mobile numbers and customer profiles.

The Cyber Centre of Excellence is now coordinating with police agencies in different states to identify more victims, trace other members of the syndicate and uncover the complete financial network behind the cyber fraud.

Officials said the investigation is ongoing to establish the full extent of the interstate conspiracy, follow the money trail and arrest all those involved. DeshGujarat