Fake call centres: ED attaches Kolkata flat, plot, other assets worth Rs 3.72 crore

Lucknow, Oct 23 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached movable and immovable properties, including a plot and a flat in Kolkata, worth Rs 3.72 crore in a case related to duping UK nationals through fraudulent call centres in Gorakhpur and Ranchi, an official said on Friday.

The ED’s Allahabad Sub-Zonal Office in Prayagraj issued the Provisional Attachment Order (PAO) under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, it said.

The attachment was undertaken in connection with the ongoing investigation into the international cyber fraud case against Anik Dutta and others, the official said in a statement.

The provisional attachment of Rs 3.72 crore includes a plot and a flat in Kolkata, amounts lying in bank accounts and insurance policies, it said.

The total proceeds of crime generated by Anik Dutta, in association with another accused person, using the abovementioned modus operandi has been quantified at Rs 7 crore, the statement said.

The ED investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered and a charge sheet filed by the Cyber Crime Police Station in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, against Dutta, Akash Gupta, Aditya Mishra and others, for offences committed under various sections of the IPC, 1860, it added.

“The investigation revealed that the accused operated fraudulent call centres through Glowbird Consultancy Private Limited in Ranchi and later through Jubilate Info Private Limited in Gorakhpur, where employees were trained to target UK nationals, particularly elderly persons, by impersonating representatives of BT Openreach and using fictitious foreign names,” the ED said.

“Under the pretext of improving internet speed, the victims were persuaded to download remote access software such as AnyDesk and Quick Assist, enabling the accused to obtain access to their devices and banking details,” it added.

“The victims were thereafter falsely informed that their internet connection had been subjected to a cyberattack and that a case had been registered with UK Action Fraud, following which senior supervisors, posing as Action Fraud officials, induced them to transfer money to bank accounts specified by the accused,” the ED said.

“The proceeds of crime were subsequently transferred to India, Bangladesh and Thailand through international money transfer services, including Western Union and MoneyGram, as well as through hawala channels,” the ED added.

–IANS

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