The Mumbai crime branch has dismantled a fraudulent call centre operating in Goregaon West, where tele-callers employed illegal tactics to recover outstanding dues from credit card defaulters. According to police, the tele-callers utilized a mobile application that granted them unauthorized access to the contact numbers of friends and relatives of the defaulters. They would then call these individuals and subject them to harassment in order to pressure the defaulters into making payments.
FIR Registered Against Six Individuals
A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed at the Bangur Nagar police station against six people, including the owner of the bogus call centre, the director of operations, members of the IT team, a female manager, and the team leader of the tele-callers.
Details of the Raid
A team from Unit 12 of the crime branch conducted a raid on the establishment, located on the second floor of a mall in Goregaon, on June 10. Upon entering the premises, police discovered 15 tele-callers, their team leader, and a female manager. The office was equipped with 18 computers and a laptop placed on wooden tables. When questioned about whether the call centre had obtained the necessary licences or permissions, the manager failed to provide satisfactory responses.
Modus Operandi
The team leader informed the police that the head office was situated at Teen Haat Naka in Thane, where the servers were housed. He explained that their operations involved recovering dues for two credit card providers. Through a specific application, they could access detailed information about defaulters, including their names, addresses, credit card numbers, age, and alternate contact numbers. Tele-callers would then use this data to contact defaulters and harass them into making payments.
Furthermore, the IT team working for the call centre provided them with IP addresses and an app that enabled them to illegally access contact details of relatives and friends of the defaulters. The tele-callers would then reach out to these individuals and apply pressure to persuade the defaulters to pay their dues.
Seizure and Further Investigation
The crime branch seized equipment from the fake call centre and summoned several individuals for further questioning at the crime branch office. The director of operations visited the crime branch and explained that the space for the establishment had been taken on lease. Police detained the director of operations and the team leader, and a notice was served to the female team leader.
