Belagavi: The Belagavi police on Thursday unearthed a well-organised international cyber fraud network that had been operating out of a rented hall on Bauxite Road for the last seven months. The outfit was running a covert call centre that targeted citizens in the United States through VoIP-based scam calls.
Police Commissioner Bhushan Borse said the operation was “structured, disciplined and designed to avoid detection.” During the midnight raid, the police seized 37 laptops, 37 mobile phones, several hard drives, routers, and other digital accessories. A total of 33 individuals were arrested on the spot—none of them natives of Karnataka. The suspects hail from Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, while one is suspected to be from Nepal.
11 scripted narratives used to trap U.S. citizens
Investigators say the entire racket operated through a set of 11 pre-written scripts, each tailored to a specific type of scam call. The operators would dial U.S. numbers through VoIP and pretend to be agents from customer care departments or federal agencies.
One common ploy was to inform a target that a high-value electronic device—such as an iPhone—had been ordered using their account. When the victim protested, they were redirected to a “verification officer,” who was actually another member of the same gang. Through a sequence of rehearsed questions, the operators extracted email access, phone numbers, and bank details under the guise of rectifying the so-called fraudulent order.
In more aggressive cases, the callers impersonated officers of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and claimed the victim’s computer had been compromised. They warned of “immediate legal action” if the victim failed to “verify identity” or make an urgent payment.
Multiple layers of tech used to mask location
To stay off the radar, the gang deployed several digital camouflage techniques:
- Urban VPN to constantly switch IP addresses
- VoIP calling to mimic authentic U.S. phone numbers
- Dedicated inbound/outbound call-handling software
Trained operators recruited from different states to diversify digital footprints. According to police, operators from Gujarat and West Bengal handled most of the high-value U.S. calls.
₹18,000–₹45,000 monthly salary, performance bonuses
During interrogation, the arrested youths admitted they were paid ₹18,000 to ₹45,000 per month, besides performance-based incentives. The police estimate that the racket earned several crores of rupees in the past seven months alone.
All seized devices will now undergo forensic imaging, which is expected to reveal money trails, call logs, email dumps, and the actual scale of the fraud.
“One of the most structured cyber fraud operations in recent years”- Police Commissioner said,
“This is among the most organised cyber fraud networks we have encountered. The callers were trained, their scripts were polished, and the victims on the other end believed they were speaking to genuine federal officials.”
The police have invoked multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Officials also suspect overseas collaborators, and further arrests are likely.
