Digital arrest scam: Bengaluru police bust call centre that conned US and Canadian citizens

Fraudsters in HSR Layout posed as officials to scam victims through digital arrest.

Bengaluru: Bengaluru police have busted a sophisticated call centre run from the tony suburb of HSR Layout that conned American and Canadian citizens through the digital arrest scam. 

The scamsters impersonated American and Canadian law enforcement officials, accused victims of engaging in illegal activities and held them under round-the-clock video surveillance by using the term "digital arrest", which is non-existent in the law.

The arrested suspects are Madhev Singh (28) from Gujarat; Karthik Raju Vadyanam (25), Francis (29), Sunil (30), Aravind Anni Poojari (31), Inder Lalmanee Yadav (31), Rohan (28), Rishit Ramesh Salian (23), Guru Prasanna (32) from Maharashtra; Minot Kankai (32), Remison Bamon (30), Phani Leybha Nangzi (27), Eljiba Mary Marbaning (23), from Meghalaya; Rakesh Kumar Singh (29) from Odisha; Ramakrishna Soni (43) from Madhya Pradesh; and Priyanka Gurung (24) from West Bengal. All were class 10 or 12 dropouts. 

On October 7, police from HSR Layout and Southeast Cybercrime stations raided Cybits Solutions Pvt Ltd, a fake BPO located at HSR Layout, Sector 1. While the raid was still underway, the kingpin received a tip-off and instructed employees to log out from servers. The management was also able to remotely monitor the centre. 

A fake US district court order used by the scamsters.

A fake order of the 'United States Supreme Court'.

Of the 25 employees present in the office, police arrested 16 and issued notices to the rest, as they were still "under training". Six of the nine are currently absconding. Police are also looking for the kingpin. 

The trained employees, fluent in American English, were given a specific script, where they impersonated officials from "US Federal Investigation Service", "US Postal Service Investigation Section" and similar fake agencies. They targeted US and Canadian citizens by accusing them of being involved in money laundering, drug trafficking and other illegal activities. 

The scamsters would send them falsified United States Supreme Court orders and arrest warrants from district courts, further scaring the victims, and hold them under digital arrest. The fraudsters, under the pretext of "helping" them, would demand money online to "settle" the matter, making large sums of money in the process, officials said. 

"We suspect the scam is worth crores as the scamsters received the proceeds of crime in US dollars," a senior officer told DH . 

The call centre, operated from a rented building, hired employees mainly by word of mouth, as it needed trusted individuals. They were paid Rs 22,000 in cash and over Rs 1 lakh as incentives based on how much the victim lost, the officer added. 

Another police officer said: "Through a live server provided by the company, the employees would speak to the victims, accuse them of being involved in criminal cases, show fake police IDs and demand money in exchange for avoiding "arrest". The defrauded amounts were deposited into the company’s wallets or bank accounts." 

The suspects also found job offers on WorkIndia, LinkedIn and similar websites with fake advertisements. Once in Bengaluru, they had full-fledged accommodations in two PG facilities, with cabs to travel, food and all other necessities. They were directed not to engage with others. 

Police suspect that the call centre rotated the employees. Those arrested were not employed for more than three months. 

"An examination of the computer systems revealed that multiple online calling tools and fake websites were used. We suspect they have other centres where they set up fake courts and agency offices to threaten on camera as the scam works in layers," the officer explained. 

Bengaluru cops contact FBI

A senior police officer confirmed to DH that they had informed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and were awaiting details of the victims. 

Inventory seized

Computer systems - 41

Script notebooks - 4

Mobile phones and IDs - 25

IP device, routers and modems - 9

Attendance registers - 2