Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Dec 25: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested a key accused in a sophisticated call centre racket that defrauded US nationals of $15 million between November 2022 and April 2024. The accused, Chandra Prakash Gupta, was charged with money-laundering.
The illegal call centres operated from Noida and Gurugram. Scammers used fake Microsoft security pop-ups to trick victims into calling fraudulent support numbers. Using remote access software like TeamViewer, they gained control of victims’ computers, obtained banking credentials, and coerced them into wiring funds under false claims of Federal Reserve protection.
“The proceeds were laundered through Hong Kong accounts and cryptocurrencies. ED has seized assets worth over Rs 100 crore, including jewellery, vehicles, and luxury watches, with other key accused still absconding,” the agency said.
Gupta had been on the run since July 2024, prompting the issuance of a non-bailable warrant against him. The ED investigation, based on a CBI FIR, included searches on December 19 and 20 at 10 locations across the NCR linked to the masterminds and associates of the scam.