ED Raids Six Places Linked To Call Centre Racket in Ahmedabad

Hyderabad: The Enforcement Directorate (ED)-Hyderabad searched six premises in Ahmedabad in connection with an alleged large-scale illegal call centre racket that cheated foreign nationals, mainly citizens of the United States, police said on Tuesday.

The searches were carried out as part of a money-laundering probe. During the operation, officials seized cryptocurrency worth about $12,000 from one of the key accused, Akib Gulamrasul Ghanchi, and transferred it to the agency’s crypto wallet. Unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 13.5 lakh was also recovered and seized, police said.

The investigation was initiated on the basis of FIRs registered by Cyberabad police and the CBI’s international operations division in New Delhi in cases related to organised cyber fraud and impersonation.

According to the ED, the probe revealed that illegal call centres were allegedly set up and operated by Mohammed Ansari alias Mohd Irfan Ansari, Akib Ghanchi, Vikas K. Nimar, Divyang Raval and Pradip V. Rathod along with their associates. Multiple call centres functioning from different locations were controlled by the same group using a common technical infrastructure, trained manpower, call scripts and a centralised money-handling system.

Investigators said the callers impersonated officials of US government agencies or representatives of private companies and intimidated victims by falsely claiming unpaid loan dues, tax liabilities or imminent legal action. Victims were allegedly coerced into buying gift cards or making digital payments.

"The proceeds of crime generated in this manner were primarily received through Amazon gift cards and were subsequently redeemed and converted into cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin, through online platforms such as Paxful and other illegal channels, with the involvement of foreign nationals in facilitating the conversion and liquidation of the cryptocurrency,” the ED officials said in Hyderabad.

“A small fraction of the proceeds of crime was found to have passed through Indian banking channels, while the majority was handled through cash and crypto currency and encashed through informal channels including hawala operators and local black markets," the officials said

The ED has frozen 31 bank accounts and one bank locker linked to the accused and their entities. Officials said the accused had allegedly been involved in such activities for a considerable period and had accumulated substantial assets in their own names and in the names of family members and proxies using the proceeds of crime. The agency also said the cartel was still actively engaged in similar fraudulent operations using the same modus operandi.