The Punjab Police’s Cyber Crime Division busted two fake call centres in Mohali on 14th and 15th May 2024 and in the process arrested a total of 155 employees on charges of making fraudulent calls to people living in United States of America and duping them.

The press release dated 17th May 2024 stated the Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav as saying that preliminary investigations revealed that the fake call centres operated at night time and callers were using three different modus operandi to dupe foreign nationals by making them to purchase gift cards of Target, Apple, Amazon, etc. These gift cards are shared by a team manager and redeemed by the kingpin/owner, he added.

Amid claims on social media that people from Nagaland were among the arrested employees, the Nagaland Post said in a report, published on Thursday, that the President of the Naga Students’ Union has confirmed that there are 42 Naga youths amongst those arrested.

Both the call centres seemed to be run by Gujarat based kingpins who are absconding, the Police said.

According to the press release, ADGP Cyber Crime V Neeraja had informed that Police teams raided both the fake call centres on the intervening night of 14th and 15th May 2024 and arrested all the employees who were working as Diallers, Closers, Bankers and Floor Managers.

Read more: 6 from Nagaland arrested in fake call centre in Gujarat