Fake call centre busted in Pitampura, 12 women among 19 held

New Delhi: Police have busted a fake call centre that allegedly operated by posing as representatives of a financial services company and charged victims fake loan fees. 19 people, including 12 women, have been arrested for operating the call centre in outer Delhi's Pitampura.

According to police, a tip-off was received on March 6 that the call centre was duping people on the pretext of providing loans and insurance-related benefits. The information was cross-checked and a police team was formed to raid the premises.

The cops found the people engaged in making calls using keypad mobile phones. They were nabbed on the spot, police said.

One of the women told the cops that she is the team leader and they would personate representatives of a financial services company and lure people from across the country. They would allegedly collect processing fees ranging from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 by sending QR codes via social media.

"After receiving the money, the centre neither provided any loan nor refunded the amount," said DCP (outer) Vikram Singh, adding that they frequently changed SIM cards and avoided calls from victims after the payment was received.

She further told police that the operation was controlled by a manager, a resident of Pitampura, who supplied them with lists of potential victims along with their contact details. Efforts are underway to trace and apprehend the manager.

They were also found to be operating another such centre in a separate room at the same location. The room was led by another female co-accused.

A case has been registered under sections 318 (cheating), 319 (cheating by personation), 61 (criminal conspiracy) and 3 (5) (common intention) at the cyber police station.