Call centre of cyber scam busted, 15 held
Lucknow: A sophisticated multi-layered fraudulent call centre orchestrating a wide range of cyber scams across India was busted in Lucknow.
This digital fraud operation, which used platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and the Reddy Anna betting app, is believed to have been remotely controlled by a mastermind operating from Dubai.
The local call centre in the Vrindavan Yojna area functioned as a dummy terminal for outreach and coordination. The gang duped over 1,000 people from across India, minting several crores.
A total of 15 accused were arrested during a coordinated raid at a residential tower in Vrindavan Yojna on Thursday.
Additional DCP, Crime Unit, Vasanth Kumar, who led the probe, told TOI that during questioning, all 15 accused admitted to involvement in cyber fraud and online gambling, targeting people across multiple states in India.
"They claimed they destroyed devices after usage and regularly changed locations to avoid detection. The Cyber Crime Portal confirmed 69 complaints linked to the seized phones and 157 complaints tied to recovered passbooks and cheque books," he said.
Kumar said that first victims were given initial fake wins to build trust. "After encouraging large deposits, their accounts were blocked or manipulated to show total losses.
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The money was funnelled into mule accounts or cryptocurrency wallets, making it nearly untraceable," he said.
Kumar said that the alleged kingpin, identified as Vishal Yadav alias Ganni alias Prince, coordinated the operations remotely and has shifted base between Sri Lanka, Singapore, Dubai, and now India to avoid law enforcement heat. The scam was previously operated abroad before relocating to Lucknow just a month ago.
The gang, which lured victims across India by offering fake online work and betting opportunities, was being run remotely by its mastermind based in Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Dubai.
Victims were approached through WhatsApp with offers of easy online income—work-from-home jobs, paid reviews, video likes, and commission-based tasks—to build initial trust. Once victims showed interest, they were shifted to Telegram groups or bots. Telegram's encryption and anonymity features enabled automated interaction and protected the scammers' identities. Kumar said that operations were managed via VoIP and virtual numbers to conceal the location.
Masterminds are believed to be operating from Dubai, using encrypted channels. Funds were funnelled through layered mule accounts, betting platforms like Reddy Anna, and cryptocurrency wallets to avoid detection.
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