RAIPUR:
Chhattisgarh police
have busted an
interstate gang
engaged in online fraud across the country, operating under the guise of
insurance policy verification
through a
call centre
established in Noida. This achievement comes with the arrest of 14 suspects from the national capital, Delhi. Notices have been issued to 41 individuals, including 25 women, employed in the call centre, and their involvement in the fraudulent activities is under investigation.
Raipur district Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh revealed that the police conducted an operation in Delhi for over a week to dismantle the gang.
During the arrest of the suspects, authorities confiscated 57 mobile phones, one wireless phone, one laptop, documents spanning over 1000 pages from various insurance companies, and over 50 counterfeit SIM cards. The fourteen suspects have been transported to Raipur under transit remand and have been charged under sections 420, 467, 468, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code by the Tikrapara police. Investigations have uncovered prior cases against four of the apprehended suspects in police stations of Durg district and Delhi.
A resident of Sanjay Nagar in the state capital, Raipur, complained to the Tikrapara police station. The complainant, a retired Deputy General Manager from the electricity department, detailed continuous fraudulent activities perpetrated against him since 2016 by individuals posing as Ram Kishan Verma and Puneet Joshi.
These individuals convinced the victim to procure a new insurance policy based on his existing one, promising him the entire policy amount upon retirement. Subsequently, fake documents were prepared under the names of Ram Kishan Verma and Puneet Joshi (fictional names) based on the victim's old insurance policy. Over multiple phone calls made from various mobile phones starting from January 12, 2017, the victim deposited nearly Rs 70 lakh into five bank accounts provided by the suspects. However, when the victim demanded payment of the insurance policy, the fraudsters ceased communication, leading the victim to realize he had been deceived.
Following the victim's report, charges under sections 420, 467, 468, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code were filed against the accused at the Tikrapara police station.
Taking the matter seriously, the state capital police, in collaboration with the Anti-Crime and Cyber Unit, launched an operation to apprehend the perpetrators. Details regarding bank accounts used for depositing and transferring money were obtained from the respective banks to identify the accused. After extensive technical analysis and scrutiny of various bank accounts, it was discovered that online fraud under the pretext of insurance policies originated from Delhi. Subsequently, a special team was formed and dispatched to Delhi for the apprehension of the suspects. Upon reaching Noida, the team established a base for over a week, posing as residents while actively searching for employment to track down the suspects and their locations.
It was found through technical analysis and investigation that the mobile numbers and addresses used by the accused were falsified, solely to perpetrate fraud. Following verification of this information, the team conducted a raid at M D Wealth Creator Call Centre, B-41, Sector 63, Noida, leading to the arrest of 14 suspects involved in large-scale fraud, Singh said.
Additionally, notices were served to 41 individuals, including women employed at the call centre, as their roles in the fraudulent activities are under scrutiny. During interrogation, the accused confessed to committing fraud amounting to crores of rupees across various locations in the country by posing as employees of the insurance verification department. The accused were apprehended in Delhi and brought to Raipur under transit remand, where extensive interrogation is ongoing regarding fraudulent activities in other parts of the country.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused operated a fraudulent syndicate under the guise of insurance policies, conducting such activities not only in Chhattisgarh (Raipur, Durg, Dhamtari) but also in Assam and Haryana, among other states. Several individuals, including Manjesh Kumar Chouhan, Ravi Chouhan, and Rishabh Chouhan, have previously been arrested in cases of fraud.
The accused frequently changed locations and call centres every six months to evade detection. During the investigation, information was obtained regarding fraud amounting to Rs 25 lakh from Lalit Sharma of Assam and approximately Rs 40 lakh from a complainant in Rohtak, Haryana. Moreover, incidents of large-scale fraud have been identified across different states nationwide, and police coordination is underway with respective states regarding these incidents. Information regarding fraud committed against an individual from Dhamtari district has been received, and the Dhamtari police are being provided with relevant information in this regard.
Transactions worth crores of rupees have been discovered in bank accounts linked to the accused thus far, which are under further investigation. Letters have been dispatched to the respective banks regarding transaction details of the arrested accused and freezing the available amount in those accounts.
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