The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has recently dismantled a major network involved in making deceitful phone calls to foreigners, primarily those from the United States. These fraudulent activities were being carried out through call centres based in India.

The alleged mastermind behind the operation was Sushil Sachdeva and his partners. The agency conducted searches at 24 different locations in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Gujarat. During these searches, they confiscated Rs 2.20 crore in cash, various foreign currencies, cryptocurrency accounts, and property documents.

The agency filed a case on July 7, 2022, claiming that several call centres in India utilized a VoIP company based in Gujarat to coordinate a large number of deceptive calls aimed at American citizens.

The individuals and companies accused in this case include E-Sampark Sodtech Private Limited, Gaurav Gupta, Praveen Kumar, Achievers A Spirit of BPO Solutions, Manu Chawla, Shivaay Communication Private Limited, Gaje Singh Rathore, S.M. Technomine, Sanket Bhadresh Modi, Technomind Info Solutions, and Rajiv Solanki.

According to the CBI, the individuals responsible for cyber-enabled crimes pretended to be organizations like the U.S. Federal Grant Department, Internal Revenue Service, and Social Security Administration. They used VoIP calls to carry out their activities. Their method involved making audio calls where they posed as officials from U.S. Federal departments or agencies. They would then trick the victims into making payments by falsely claiming they owed fees, fines, or penalties.

The initial phase of investigations under the CBI’s ‘Operation Chakra’ in October 2022 had earlier led to searches at 11 such call centres/entities. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also informed the agency that the accused in the case had already faced indictments in the U.S. for similar fraudulent activities against American citizens.

Previously, the CBI filed a chargesheet against a different suspect. The CBI claimed that after conducting additional investigation, they discovered the supposed participation of Mr. Sachdeva and others in defrauding foreigners.