The Millennium City’s reputation as a tech hub was again marred today as a sophisticated international scam center was dismantled in a late-night operation by the Cyber Crime unit.
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The Operation: Acting on an intelligence tip-off regarding suspicious activities in a commercial building in Udyog Vihar Phase IV, a team of over 20 cyber police officers conducted a surprise raid. Upon entry, they found employees actively engaged in calls with British accents, utilizing scripts designed to induce panic.
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Modus Operandi: The scammers used automated “Robo-calls” to inform UK residents that they were under investigation for tax fraud. When victims connected, the agents—posing as HMRC officers—demanded immediate payment to “cancel the arrest warrant.” The money was typically collected through Amazon Gift Cards, iTunes vouchers, or Bitcoin, making it difficult to trace.
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Arrests and Seizures: Among the 12 arrested are two main operators who previously worked in legitimate BPOs. Police recovered 25 laptops, 40 mobile phones, and 2 sophisticated VoIP servers. They also found a database containing the personal details of over 50,000 UK residents.
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Financial Scale: Initial estimates suggest the gang was siphoning off approximately £15,000 to £20,000 per week. The funds were laundered through multiple shell accounts and converted into Indian currency through hawala channels.
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Official Statement: “These fake call centers damage India’s global image. We have recovered scripts that even mimicked HMRC’s background hold music to sound authentic. We are now coordinating with international agencies to identify the UK-based leads who provided the data,” said a senior Gurugram Cyber Police official.
