Maharashtra: Fake call centre busted in Ambernath, five arrested for duping US citizens

Ambarnath: Police in Ambernath have busted a fake call centre allegedly involved in cheating US citizens and arrested five individuals linked to the operation. The accused are said to have posed as software service providers, collected payments in dollars through cryptocurrency channels, and then blocked the victims' contact numbers.Those arrested have been identified as Kamlesh Sunil Sachwani (35), owner of Rudratek IT Service Centre, Hitesh Santosh Punjabi (22) and Tarun Haresh Kevalani (22), both data analysts, Yash Raju Patil (24) and Varun Vinod Mishra (21) who handled customer calling. All five are residents of Ulhasnagar and Ambernath.
According to investigators, the racket was being run from a facility operating under the name "Rudratek IT Service Centre" in Ambarnath. The group allegedly conspired to target foreign nationals by offering software development and sales services. Victims were persuaded to make advance payments ranging from $50 to $200 via Bitcoin scanners.Senior police inspector Shabbir Sayyed of Ambernath police station said the accused used mobile phones, specialised software, computers and internet services to execute the fraud. "They contacted US-based individuals, gained their trust by promising software solutions, accepted payments through cryptocurrency, and subsequently blocked the customers' numbers," Sayyed said.Police said the operation came to light following a tip-off and technical surveillance. A raid was conducted at the premises, where officers seized computers, mobile phones and other digital equipment suspected to have been used in the scam. An offence has been registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act for cheating and cyber fraud.Police are also examining financial trails, including cryptocurrency transactions to assess the scale of the fraud.