Police bust 3 fake call centres in Mumbai, arrest 12 persons for duping insurance policy holders

Mumbai, Jul 14 (PTI) Police have busted three fake call centres operating in Mumbai, and arrested 12 persons for allegedly cheating policyholders by posing as representatives of a private health insurance company, officials said on Tuesday. They also seized devices, equipment and valuables of Rs 17 lakh during the operation from the accused, they said. The case came to light after a complainant approached the police last month, alleging that fraudsters contacted him with an offer to process a 'no claim bonus' of Rs 1.53 lakh on his health insurance policy. The callers allegedly induced him to share his credit card details on various pretexts and subsequently withdrew Rs 3.43 lakh through unauthorised online transactions, an official of Govandi police station said. Based on the complaint, police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. A technical investigation by the cyber team traced the operation to a fake call centre functioning from Kohinoor City Mall in Kurla (West). During a raid, the police arrested six persons and seized computers, laptops, routers, mobile phones, SIM cards and scripts allegedly used to persuade customers to disclose sensitive banking and credit card details. Investigators also found that the accused had allegedly used stolen credit card information to purchase gold coins and other valuables online. Further interrogation of the arrested accused led the police to a wider network. Acting on fresh leads, police conducted raids at two more fake call centres -- one of them operating in the same mall and another in Asalfa village in Ghatkopar area -- dismantling two additional fraudulent call centres and arresting six more persons, the official said. In all, police arrested 12 accused and seized 29 computers, five laptops, 15 mobile phones, three routers, 15 SIM cards, fraudulent call scripts and 28.05 grams of gold allegedly purchased using the proceeds of the crime. The total value of the seized property has been estimated at Rs 17.18 lakh, police said. Investigators suspect the syndicate targeted insurance policyholders across multiple states using similar modus operandi. Further investigation is underway, and police said more arrests are likely. PTI ZA NP