Mumbai Police have dismantled a network of fake insurance call centres operating out of Kurla and Asalfa, arresting 12 people accused of impersonating representatives of a reputed insurance company to steal banking and card details from unsuspecting customers. The operation, which began with a single victim’s complaint, ultimately led investigators to three separate fraudulent call centres and assets worth over ₹17 lakh.
A No-Claim Bonus That Wasn’t
The case surfaced after a victim approached Govandi Police alleging he had been contacted by fraudsters posing as officials of HDFC ERGO Health Insurance, who offered to process a no-claim bonus worth ₹1.53 lakh on his policy. Over the course of the conversation, the callers allegedly gained his confidence and extracted his credit card details along with other sensitive information under various pretexts.
Using the stolen data, the accused allegedly conducted online transactions and fraudulently withdrew ₹3.43 lakh from the victim’s account. The complaint was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, setting off a technical investigation that traced the operation to a specific commercial address in Kurla West.
Tracing the Network Through Kohinoor City Mall
Police raided premises at Kohinoor City Mall and arrested six people during the initial operation, recovering computers, laptops, mobile phones, routers, SIM cards and what investigators describe as prepared calling scripts used to convince customers the callers were genuine insurance representatives. These scripts, police said, were central to the fraud’s credibility, walking callers through a rehearsed sequence designed to extract card details and banking information under the guise of routine verification.
Interrogation of the arrested suspects reportedly pointed investigators toward additional operations, prompting further searches in the Asalfa Village area and near Kohinoor Mall. These searches led to the identification and dismantling of two more fake call centres, bringing the total number of arrests to 12 and the total haul of seized electronics to 29 computers, five laptops, 15 mobile phones, three routers and 15 SIM cards, alongside 28.05 grams of gold allegedly purchased using proceeds of the fraud.
A Familiar Pattern Across Indian Cities
The Mumbai bust fits a pattern that has surfaced repeatedly across the country in recent months. Similar fake call centres offering fictitious insurance bonuses have been dismantled in Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad, often using near-identical scripts promising unclaimed bonuses, policy corrections or loyalty rewards that require an upfront payment or sensitive data to release. In several of these cases, the scale has run into hundreds of victims and crores of rupees before the networks were caught, underscoring how a formula that works in one city is frequently replicated elsewhere with minimal modification.
Investigators are now examining whether the accused in the Mumbai case were part of a larger, multi-state organised cybercrime operation, analysing mobile numbers, digital devices, financial transaction records and communication patterns to trace additional members of the network.
What Experts Say Customers Should Watch For
A researcher at Algoritha Security said fake insurance call centre frauds typically rely on social engineering, building trust before manipulating victims into sharing confidential financial information, and advised customers to verify any insurance-related call independently through official company channels rather than the number the caller provides. Cybersecurity experts more broadly note that criminals frequently misuse the identity of established, trusted companies specifically because that trust lowers a customer’s guard faster than an unfamiliar brand would.
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has separately reiterated that no insurance company or government body ever demands upfront payment to release maturity benefits, bonuses or unclaimed policy amounts, a detail regulators say remains the single most reliable red flag across these schemes. Mumbai Police have urged citizens to remain cautious of calls related to insurance benefits, policy updates or refunds, and to never share OTPs, CVV numbers, card details or banking credentials with unknown callers, regardless of how credible the claim sounds.
