Palghar, February 24 Five individuals have been arrested for allegedly operating a fake call center from an apartment in Palghar district, Maharashtra, and defrauding US nationals by posing as tech support representatives, police said on Tuesday.
The local crime branch raided an apartment in Palghar West around midnight and apprehended the accused, District Superintendent of Police Yatish Deshmukh said.
The accused had illegally obtained contact details of US citizens and called them, pretending to be representatives of tech companies, claiming that their devices had been hacked or were infected with viruses, he said.
"To resolve these non-existent technical issues, the gang coerced victims into purchasing gift cards from various brands, ranging from $500 to $4,000. This money was then converted into cryptocurrency, and they ultimately received cash through hawala channels," Deshmukh added.
The police seized four laptops, 12 mobile phones, and other electronic equipment worth Rs 5.72 lakh during the raid, he said.
The arrested individuals are Bharat Loku Lalwani (35), Rohit Milind Zonhe (23), Rohit Rajendra Nimbalkar (29), Amardeep Angrej Gill (24), and Sagar Baldev Pathadia (29).
"A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. The accused have been produced before a local court, which has remanded them in police custody until February 28," the SP said.
