Hyderabad: Balanagar SOT and Cyberabad police have busted an international fake call center located in Hitech City. The gang had duped Australian citizens of ₹8-10 crore over the course of approximately two years. Police said the call center was established in 2024 under the name “Ritz IT Solutions” in Ayyappa Society, Madhapur.
The main accused were Praveen and Prakash (from Khammam district). The call center was operated by Yapuri Ganesh and Marampudu Chennakeshav. The seven tele-callers working at the call center were Mumita Mandal, Ijaz Ahmed, Sambit Roy, Shanik Banerjee, Mumita Mallick, Shilpi Samaddar, and Kunal Singh. They were trained to speak English with an Australian accent to easily defraud foreign citizens.
How they perpetrated the fraud
Police said the gang would send messages to Australian citizens via email and fake pop-ups, stating, “Your computer has been hacked.” They would then provide a number to call. Upon calling, the callers would ask the victim to install the remote access software AnyDesk and then obtain their bank account details to withdraw money.
The stolen funds were initially transferred to Australian bank accounts held in the names of some students and NRIs in India. These funds were then brought into India through hawala, crypto, and other means. Police have gathered information on approximately 45 Australian bank accounts.
Arrests and Police Action
Balanagar SOT Inspector Shivkumar’s team conducted a raid on Saturday and arrested nine accused. DCP S.V.S. Sudhirendra stated that the main accused, Praveen and Prakash, are still at large and will be apprehended soon. Police have recovered computers, mobile phones, documents, and other crucial evidence.
The DCP has warned the public not to share personal and banking information in any foreign calls, emails, or pop-ups. It is extremely important to exercise caution in such cases. Police and cybersecurity experts are urging citizens to take any suspicious calls or emails seriously and not share their personal information without verification.
