NASHIK: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has busted an illegal call centre operating from the Rainforest Resort in Igatpuri, Nashik, allegedly involved in massive cyber fraud targeting US, Canadian, and other foreign nationals.
Five accused — Vishal Yadav, Shebaz, Durgesh, Abhay Raj alias Raja, and Sameer alias Kalia alias Sohail — all Mumbai residents, have been arrested, while others remain under probe. According to the FIR filed on August 8, the accused conspired with unknown persons and bank officials to run a sham “Amazon Support Services” call centre.
Using scam and duplicitous calls, they allegedly phished foreign nationals and illicitly gained money through gift cards and cryptocurrency. Around 60 operators, including diallers, verifiers, and closers, worked at the centre.
During the raid, the CBI seized 44 laptops, 71 mobile phones, Rs 1.20 crore in unaccounted cash, 500g of gold, and seven luxury vehicles worth Rs 1 crore. It also recovered crypto transactions worth about Rs 5 lakh and gift vouchers worth Rs 1.26 lakh. A total of 62 employees were caught in action during the operation.