Police Bust Fake Call Center in Kharadi Targeting US Nationals

Police Said the Gang Generated an Average Monthly Income of USD 30,000 from the Fraud

- Shrinivas Deshpande

PUNE: In a late-night operation on Friday, the Pune city police crime branch unit, along with its cyber cell, raided a fake call center operating in Kharadi.

The operation exposed how the accused targeted citizens in the United States, threatening them with 'digital arrests' to extort money, police officials said.

According to police, they received specific information about a bogus call center functioning from the Pride Icon building in Kharadi. Acting on tip-off, a team raided the office of Magnetel BPS and Consultants LLP, located on the ninth floor of the building on Kharadi-Mundhwa road in Pune.

During the raid, five main accused were arrested. They were identified as Sarjitsingh Giravatsingh Shekhawat from Kharadi, hailing from Rajasthan; Abhishek Ajay Kumar Pandey, originally from Ahmedabad, Gujarat; Shrimay Paresh Shah from Kharadi and originally from Ahmedabad; Laxman Amarshingh Shekhawat, also from Kharadi and originally from Ahmedabad; and Aron Aruman Christian from Kharadi, again originally from Ahmedabad.

Police said a search for three more absconding individuals, Karansingh Sehekhawat, Sanjay More, and Ketan Ravani is going on.

Alongside these five, 123 employees—including 111 men and 12 women—were found working at the fake call center.