ED finds 3 live fake call centres targeting Americans, 220 staff at work | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: The Enforcement Directorate’s Hyderabad zonal office detected three fake call centres allegedly targeting US nationals during searches at four premises in Patiala, Pune and Chandigarh on Sept 15. Two of the call centres were operating from Patiala and another from Pune. Around 220 people were found working at the three centres when ED teams reached there.The searches were conducted as part of an ongoing investigation into a call centre racket allegedly cheating US nationals. The key accused were identified as Harshal Raval and Ravi Rampi.Calls made using false pretextsED officials said material collected during its investigation and subsequent field verification indicated that a group of people in association with others was operating and controlling the call centres in Patiala and Pune. DW Web Solutions in Patiala, from where one of the call centres was being run, was among the companies raided. Another company, Flying Feathers, was also searched.The centres had multiple workstations, cubicles, computers, headsets, mobile phones and networking equipment. The operators allegedly called US nationals and induced them to make payments under false pretexts.At the time of the searches, the two centres in Patiala were allegedly engaged in cheating and extorting US nationals. Mobile phones and a laptop recovered from those operating the centres contained data relating to the syndicate’s alleged modus operandi and distribution of proceeds generated from victims, officials said. They also found that the centre in Pune was allegedly using a similar methods to defraud people.Chandigarh office controlled operationsAccording to ED, residential premises searched in Chandigarh were allegedly used by the mastermind to coordinate and control the Patiala call centres. Multiple digital devices were recovered from the premises.Investigators also found a person allegedly involved in processing the proceeds and converting US dollars into Indian rupees. His role and related financial transactions are being examined.ED seized 66 mobile phones, 13 laptops, hard disks, other communication equipment, cash and records during the searches. Investigators are examining calling campaigns, scripts, dialler and voice over Internet Protocol-based systems, victim data and payment channels.The recovered digital evidence is being analysed to establish links among the searched premises, identify others involved and trace the proceeds of crime. Further investigation is under way.