Pune: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has exposed a major illegal fake call center racket that had been defrauding foreign nationals, particularly from the United States, through sophisticated online scams.

In a series of coordinated raids conducted in multiple cities, including Pune, Hyderabad, Varanasi, Visakhapatnam, and Ahmedabad, the CBI apprehended five individuals involved in the operation.

The arrested suspects—Rohit Banjara, Jitendra Rawal, Harsh Patel, Aditya Patel, and Vanraj Sahil—were nabbed in Hyderabad and have been charged with serious offenses, including fraud and illegal business operations.

According to CBI officials, the accused were running their fraudulent call centers under the guise of legitimate companies, including MSVC Informatics Pvt. Ltd., Atria Global Services Pvt. Ltd., and Viajes Solutions.

Using these fronts, they targeted foreign nationals by employing remote access software to gain control of victims' devices and steal sensitive financial information.

The scam involved persuading their victims to purchase international gift cards, a common tactic used in many online fraud schemes. In one notable instance, the group defrauded two foreign nationals of a total of $20,000 through such means.

The raids, which took place simultaneously in different cities, led to the seizure of a significant amount of evidence. CBI officials recovered 50 mobile phones, 38 computers, and numerous documents related to the fraudulent operations. The arrested individuals were brought before a Pune court, where charges were formally filed against them.