International fake call-centre racket busted in Hyderabad; gang duped Australians of Rs 8–10 crore
Hyderabad In a major breakthrough against cyber-fraud networks operating in the IT corridor, the Balanagar SOT police have busted an international fake call-centre racket functioning out of Hyderabad’s Hitec City.
Officials revealed that the gang had been sending fraudulent emails to Australian citizens, remotely taking control of their computers, and siphoning off money from their bank accounts. The cyber-criminal network is estimated to have amassed ₹8 to ₹10 crore over the last two years.
At a press briefing held on Saturday at the Gachibowli office, Cyberabad SOT DCP Shoban Kumar, Additional DCP Vishwaprasad, Inspector Shivakumar, ACP Ravindra Reddy and Cyber Crime DCP YVS Sudhindra shared detailed information about the operation.
Brothers from Khammam were masterminds:
Police said the racket was spearheaded by two brothers, Praveen and Prakash, hailing from Khammam district. With the intention of making quick money, the duo set up a fake call-centre in 2024 under the name Ritz IT Solutions in Ayyappa Society, Madhapur.
They hired managers — Yepuri Ganesh (30) from Yellur in Khammam district and Chennakeshav (26) from Vensur mandal — to run day-to-day operations.
To target Australians specifically, the brothers recruited telecallers proficient in English with an Australian accent. Those arrested include Moumita Mandal (27), Ijaz Ahmed (42), Sambit Ray (27), Shaunik Banerjee (24), Moumita Mallik (33), Shilpi Samaddar (33) and Kunal Singh (37), all hailing from Kolkata and other regions.
How the fraud was executed:
According to DCP Sudhindra, the call-centre procured email IDs and personal information of Australian citizens through illegal data brokers. Using this information, they sent fake emails and pop-up alerts claiming that the recipient’s computer had been hacked. The victims were then urged to contact a ‘customer service number’ provided in the message.
Once they called, the telecallers convinced them to install AnyDesk, a remote access software, under the pretext of fixing the issue. After gaining full access to the victims’ devices, the scammers harvested online banking credentials and transferred money to accounts in India.
The stolen funds were then routed to Indian students’ accounts and laundered through hawala networks, cryptocurrency channels, and other covert methods.
Nine arrested; masterminds absconding:
Acting on credible information, the Balanagar SOT team raided the premises on Saturday and arrested nine accused. However, the masterminds Praveen and Prakash are currently absconding. Police said efforts are underway to trace and arrest them soon.
Investigators have so far identified 45 Australian bank accounts affected by the fraud. Authorities believe the gang has accumulated significant assets through illegally obtained funds.
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