Daijiworld Media Network - Patiala
Patiala, Nov 5: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested four persons from Patiala in connection with an alleged international call centre fraud racket that targeted several US citizens and reportedly generated proceeds of crime worth Rs 261 crore.
The accused, identified as Harshil Nayanbhai Raval, Jaswant Singh, Chetan Munjal and Pranav Pithadia, were arrested from two locations in Patiala on Wednesday. They were subsequently taken to Hyderabad after the ED obtained their transit remand from a local court.
According to the investigation, the gang had earlier operated a fraudulent call centre in Madhapur, a major technology hub in Hyderabad. Following police raids, the accused allegedly shifted their operations to Patiala. The racket is also suspected to have operated through call centres in Chandigarh, Mohali and Hyderabad.
The ED arrested the four under Section 19(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, on allegations of cheating US citizens and laundering the proceeds generated through the fraudulent operations.
Three other accused had been arrested earlier in the case. Vikas Nimar was arrested on July 27, Tarachand Nimar on August 5 and Imran Asgari on October 10. With the latest arrests, the total number of accused taken into custody in the case has risen to seven.
A senior ED official said the agency had conducted searches at four premises in Patiala, Pune and Chandigarh on September 15 under Section 17 of the PMLA. During the searches, investigators detected two call centres operating in Patiala and another in Pune, with approximately 220 people working across the facilities.
The agency has alleged that the racket channelled the proceeds of crime into real estate, gold, vehicles and various businesses. The total proceeds of crime have been estimated at Rs 261 crore, with a portion reportedly invested in properties on the outskirts of Chandigarh.
As part of the investigation, the ED carried out forensic examinations of 79 digital devices and recovered call centre conversations, financial ledgers, call data, victim information and cryptocurrency wallets. Investigators also seized forged government documents and fake identity cards during the searches in Patiala.
The investigation further revealed that the gang had allegedly purchased around two million US telephone numbers, along with personal details such as names, addresses and ages. The data reportedly included information about a large number of elderly American citizens.
The telephone numbers and personal details were uploaded onto automated dialling systems hosted on servers in Germany and Finland. The call centres allegedly used these systems to contact potential victims and carry out fraudulent activities.
So far, investigators have identified 549 victims, many of whom were born in the 1940s. According to the ED, calls or messages were allegedly made to 6,463 US telephone numbers as part of the operation.
The agency is continuing its investigation to trace the full extent of the alleged fraud, identify other individuals involved and establish the movement of the proceeds of crime.