Police have busted an illegal call centre operating under the guise of online gaming in Pune, uncovering an alleged fraud racket that investigators say duped hundreds of people daily.
The raids were conducted in the Hadapsar, Fursungi and Bhekrai Nagar areas of the city. According to police, the call centre lured individuals with promises of earning money through online games and then allegedly manipulated them into transferring funds.
Investigators claim the operation defrauded between 300 and 400 people every day, resulting in losses worth lakhs of rupees. Cases have been registered against all individuals found working at the call centre. The two arrested accused have been identified as Santosh Datta Venzanekar and Vinayak alias Deepak Manohar Ikke.
According to police, the call centre operated from a building in Hadapsar and targeted citizens by claiming they could earn money by participating in online games. Victims were initially paid small amounts to gain their trust. If a player lost a game, call centre operators allegedly convinced them they could recover their losses by making additional payments. Once individuals became engaged in the scheme, they were reportedly pressured into transferring money, leading to financial losses.
The Mundhwa Police received intelligence about the racket and, along with officials from the Cyber Crime Department and Hadapsar Police, conducted a raid on the premises.
During the investigation, police found that accused Venzanekar had allegedly collected Aadhaar details of employees working at the centre and used them to obtain SIM cards and create fraudulent bank accounts. Police said the alleged kingpin of the operation is based in Dubai, while another associate handled financial transactions. Efforts are underway to trace and apprehend both individuals.
During the raid, officers seized hard disks, auto-dialer machines, SIM cards, laptops, forged company seals, passes, cheque books and other electronic and technical equipment. Further investigation is underway, and a case has been registered at the Mundhwa Police Station.