3 min readChandigarhJun 3, 2026 04:16 PM IST
Police in Panchkula claimed to have busted an alleged fake international call centre operating from Sector 2 and arrested 21 persons, including four alleged masterminds, in connection with a cyber fraud racket that purportedly targeted US citizens by impersonating customer service representatives of Amazon.
According to police, the operation was carried out late Sunday night following a tip-off. Teams from the Cyber Crime Police Station, the State Cyber Crime unit and other crime investigation units conducted a joint raid at premises operating on the first floor of a building in Sector 2.
Police said the four key accused Raja Siddiqui, Akshay, alias Tikku, Navdeep Bedi, alias Raj Bedi, and Ankur Kapoor, who are from Delhi, Kolkata, Mohali and Panchkula, were produced before a court and remanded in seven days of police custody.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) Amarinder Singh said the call centre was allegedly being used to target foreign nationals, primarily US citizens, by posing as Amazon US customer support executives.
During the raid, police found several young men and women allegedly engaged in conversations with foreign nationals using laptops, headsets and internet-based software.
Preliminary investigation revealed that calls were routed through specialised software, after which the callers allegedly introduced themselves as Amazon customer service representatives and persuaded victims to share personal information.
Police alleged that victims were then induced to download remote-access applications such as AnyDesk, enabling the accused to gain access to their computer systems. The callers would subsequently mislead victims into purchasing gift cards, which were later redeemed through various channels for financial gain.
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The police said they recovered 19 computer systems, three laptops, 16 headsets, two point-of-sale (POS) machines, three walkie-talkie sets, two Wi-Fi routers, a currency-counting machine, a seal, a hardware crypto wallet, cash amounting to Rs 11.30 lakh, counterfeit foreign currency, gold jewellery, diamond earrings, a chain, a bracelet and several documents and electronic devices.
According to the DCP, preliminary findings suggest that the proceeds of the alleged fraud were routed through hawala channels and cryptocurrency transactions to different states.
Of the 21 arrested, the remaining 17 — comprising 12 men and five women — were allegedly employed as computer operators at the call centre, a police official said adding that they are residents of Chandigarh, Mohali, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, Kolkata and other places. These 17 accused have been released on bail.
Police suspect that the network recruited young people from different states and used them to carry out organised cyber fraud targeting foreign nationals.
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Police said questioning of the accused has led to several disclosures regarding alleged hawala networks, cryptocurrency transactions, movement of funds obtained through the fraud and the role of other associates. Raids in other states are being planned and further arrests are likely.
A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Information Technology Act and the Telecommunications Act, and further investigation is underway.
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