Ten men have been arrested by the detective department in a major cyber-crime bust. They were running an international fake call centre that made VoIP calls to people in the United States, posing as staff of online payment companies and offering fake technical support. Authorities say the proceeds of this fraud were used to buy mansions, luxury cars, watches, jewellery and other high-end goods.
The operation was uncovered after a complaint surfaced at the cyber police station, prompting raids late in the night. Two apartments located in Ideal Heights, Sealdah, were being used as the nerve centres of the fraudulent calls. The main conspirator, named Zawed Khan, had invested heavily in luxury real estate and automobiles, while team members handled day-to-day operations of making calls, maintaining equipment, and managing the movement of funds.
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Luxury Investments Made From Fraud Proceeds
Police seized a villa in Aqua Golf Villa Phase 1 owned by Khan, along with two expensive cars — a Skoda Slavia and a Mahindra XUV 700. They also recovered over ten high-end watches, gold jewellery, and more than ten lakh rupees in cash. From their operational base, officers confiscated mobile phones, laptops (including MacBooks), routers, and documents and notebooks that detailed how the scam accounts were maintained. Screenshots of fraudulent transactions were also found.
Officials say the fraudsters posed as employees of reputable companies that facilitate online payments. They manipulated victims by pretending to offer technical support and assistance, then used those calls to gain trust before absconding with money.
What Police Are Doing & What It Means
Investigations are still underway to map out the full network behind the fake call centre. Senior police officers have instructed all local police stations to report on similar call-centre frauds, especially those using VoIP, and to submit updates soon.
For the public, this case underlines how fraud money often gets laundered or hidden through high-value purchases and real estate. Experts warn people to stay alert, avoid sharing financial details over suspicious calls, verify the identity of callers claiming to be from companies or tech support, and report anything that seems off.