Maharashtra: Police bust fake call centre racket after 4am breakfast orders raise suspicion

Breakfast orders for a large group of people at a deserted beach resort helped the police bust an fake call centre in neighbouring Mira-Bhayandar, which was involved in duping Australian nationals, an official said.

As many as 49 people were arrested during a raid at a call centre operating out of a resort near Rajodi beach in Mira-Bhayandar on April 9, the official said. Teams from Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police are in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Jammu to track down the main accused and his associates, he said.

As beach resorts are mostly deserted on weekdays, the police got suspicious when orders were placed by a large group people for breakfast and tea at the facility, he said. Accordingly, a team from Karnala police station conducted a raid and arrested 49 persons and found 60 workstations in the premises, the official said.

The call centre had been operational for 20 days. The accused allegedly contacted Australian nationals by posing as employees of an online payment platform and got their bank details and siphoned off money from their accounts, he said. The police had also received an email from an Australian national, who claimed that he lost 10,500 Australian dollars, he said.