New Delhi, April 10 : In a major crackdown under its ongoing anti-cybercrime initiative 'Cyhawk 4.0,' the Delhi Police South District on Friday dismantled a fraudulent call centre operating from Govindpuri and arrested 11 accused people, including the masterminds behind the operation.

The accused have been identified as Sandeep Chaudhary, Ashwini Kumar alias Tushar, Neeraj Gupta, Abhay Kumar, Aman Bhagat, Aryan Nath, Siddharth Chauhan, Ankit Gupta, Dhruv, Akash Gupta, and Pawan Kumar. Additionally, one female partner, Ritu Kumari, and around 20 female employees have been identified and served notices to join the investigation.

The case came to light during scrutiny of complaints on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), where a fraud of Rs 13,200 reported by a resident of Gurugram, Haryana, was analysed. Investigators traced the transaction to a mule bank account used to receive money from multiple cyber frauds across the country. The account holder, Pawan Kumar, was apprehended and revealed that he had shared his bank account and ATM details with his employer in exchange for commission. This disclosure led police to a fraudulent firm named Herbitecture Healthcare.

Considering the seriousness of the offence, a special team from Police Station Saket was formed under the leadership of Inspector Nagender Nagar, with supervision from SHO Inspector Dinesh Kumar and ACP Hauz Khas Rituraj. The team also included SI Ajay Kumar, SI Karan, ASI Ashok, ASI Prem Raj, HC Rajender, Constable Vipin, and Lady Constable Monika.

Acting on the information, the police conducted a raid at the Govindpuri office, where they found a fully operational illegal call centre. During the raid, 31 employees â?? 21 women and 10 men â?? were found engaged in tele-calling activities.

Police seized 35 mobile phones, three laptops, one desktop computer, 15 new SIM cards, 35 returned parcels containing medicines, and several bank-related documents, cheque books, and other incriminating materials.

Investigations revealed that the accused used social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to advertise weight-loss products. Interested users were contacted by call centre agents and persuaded to purchase these items. Initial deliveries were made to build trust, after which victims were misled into making additional payments. In many cases, products were either not delivered or replaced and false assurances were given. Later the accused stopped responding after collecting substantial sums.

The main accused â?? Sandeep Chaudhary (27), Ashwini Kumar (23), and Neeraj Gupta (23) â?? were found to have prior experience in similar fraudulent operations and had launched this set-up in May 2023.

Further investigation is underway to trace financial transactions, identify additional victims across India, and examine the involvement of other associates.

/IANS