11 arrested in alleged Palam Vihar fake call centre case

Eleven people were arrested after Cyber Crime West police raided a rented house in J Block, Palam Vihar, that police allege was being used to run a fake call centre targeting US citizens.

Police identified Pritpal Singh as the alleged team leader. Investigators said the operation had been running for two to three months and that callers were paid commission.

According to police, callers posed as customer-service representatives for US brands and told people their phones had viruses or technical faults. They allegedly used X-Lite Dialler software and FaceTime to speak in English, displayed purported US Federal Trade Commission letters, and sought $10,000 to $20,000 for claimed fixes.

Police said the money was allegedly routed to foreign bank accounts or collected through gift vouchers and card numbers. Officers seized nine laptops, 20 mobile phones, two headsets or microphones, two cars, a motorcycle and a scooter.

Police have registered a case at Gurugram's Cyber Crime West police station under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. The investigation is continuing.