Kolkata, Sep 3 (IANS) West Bengal police have busted two fake call centres operating from south Kolkata and arrested 67 people, including 41 women, for their alleged involvement in a nationwide fraud racket, officials said on Thursday. The arrests followed successive raids conducted on Rajdanga Main Road in the Kasba area.
Acting on a tip-off, police on Wedneday (September 2) raided a premises on Rajdanga Main Road where several individuals were found operating from an office-like setup and making calls to people across the country. During the search, officers seized 39 mobile phones, nine chargers, nine diaries, two ATM debit cards, and cash worth Rs 16,000.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused allegedly posed as representatives of telecom companies, banks and insurance firms to lure victims with promises of 5G mobile tower installations, high-return insurance schemes, health insurance policies and low-interest loans. Victims were reportedly persuaded to transfer money into designated bank accounts under the guise of processing fees and other charges. Police suspect these accounts functioned as mule accounts for the fraud network.
Investigators estimate that nearly 100 bank accounts were used by the racket over the past six months. The accused allegedly collected money from victims in the name of telecom tower installation charges, loan processing fees and insurance packages. They are also suspected of using forged authorisation letters purportedly issued by banks, organisations and government agencies to gain the trust of potential victims.
Police said diaries and ledgers recovered during the raid contained details of prospective targets as well as scripted conversations designed to convince people to part with their money. Investigators believe the call centre had previously operated from the Patuli area before shifting to Rajdanga Main Road around a month ago.
During questioning, police uncovered another similar operation functioning from the first floor of a nearby building on the same road. A follow-up raid led to the arrest of 27 more people, including 18 women and nine men. Officers seized 32 mobile phones and four registers from the second premises.
According to investigators, both call centres were allegedly run by Sandeep Banerjee, a resident of Nayabad, along with unidentified associates. Police are now probing the wider network, including the identities of other conspirators and the total amount allegedly siphoned off through the fraud.
All 67 accused have been booked under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
