The Belagavi City Police have busted a major international fraud call centre operating out of a building on Kumar Hall, Bauxite Road, Belagavi. The raid was conducted by ACP Cyber Crime Raghu, PI Gaddekar, and officer Avati, following credible inputs from the Internal Security Division.
Addressing the media, the Commissioner of Police Borase said the team seized 37 laptops and 37 mobile phones, along with cloud-based applications used for storing and deleting evidence. A total of 33 people involved in the operation were arrested.
Call Centre Targeted American Citizens
Preliminary investigation revealed that the racket was designed to cheat American citizens on a large scale. The accused used 11 different fraud scripts to lure victims.
The method typically involved sending messages like:
“You have ordered this item. If not, please call this number.”
When the victims called back, the operators impersonated officials and even displayed fake websites. Calls were routed to “senior agents” posing as bank authorities who extracted account details and asked victims to verify balances.
Victims were then instructed to buy Walmart gift cards and share the codes with the fraudsters, under the pretext of securing refunds or preventing fraudulent transactions.
The gang allegedly misused the name of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and collected sensitive personal information from American citizens.
Operation Backed by VOIP and VPNs
The Commissioner said the accused relied heavily on VOIP applications and VPN services, including Urban VPN, to spoof numbers and mask their locations. All call operations were run through cloud-based systems to avoid local traces.
Accused From many States and Nepal: None from Karnataka
The 33 individuals arrested belong to several states, including Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, and even Nepal.
They were recruited on monthly salaries ranging from ₹12,000 to ₹40,000, with additional incentives. The call centre began operations in March 2025, and the gang was planning to expand by hiring more staff when the raid took place.
Massive Scale of Operations
The Commissioner described the scam as “dangerously large,” noting that each operator made nearly 100 calls per day. With 33 staff members, the call centre could potentially reach over 3,000 people daily, all targeted for financial fraud.
Masterminds Identified
Two masterminds—one from Gujarat and another from West Bengal—are believed to be the key organisers behind the network. Police are conducting further investigation to trace the higher-level handlers.
Cases Registered
Police have booked the accused under:
- The Information Technology Act
- Relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)
- Telecommunication-related offences
The Commissioner added that the seized devices are being analysed to uncover the full extent of the fraud.