Panaji – In a major crackdown on cyber fraud, the Cyber Crime Police Station, Goa, conducted a successful raid on an illegal call centre operating from rented premises in Bainginium, Old Goa. The operation, carried out on the intervening night of December 12-13, resulted in the arrest of seven accused individuals who were caught red-handed.
The accused were impersonating agents of a fictitious “Payday” loan company. They targeted US citizens by offering instant loans and tricking victims into purchasing large quantities of gift cards (including brands such as Sephora, Macy’s, Green Dot Money Pack, Apple Gift Cards, Razer Gold, and Xbox) under false pretexts. These gift cards were then redeemed to siphon off funds.
During the raid, police seized 6 laptops and 4 mobile phones used in the fraudulent operations.
The arrested individuals have been identified as:
• Himanshu Singh Chauhan (Gujarat)
• Mohsin Husain Mansuri (Gujarat)
• Avishek Chowdhury (West Bengal)
• Basudev Chakraborty (West Bengal)
• Swayam Pandey (Jharkhand)
• Syed Saquib (Jharkhand)
• Vilas Utekar (Maharashtra)
The accused were produced before the court and remanded to police custody. Further investigation is underway to determine the full extent of the scam, including the total amount defrauded and any additional accomplices. Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime) Rahul Gupta stated that this is part of ongoing efforts to combat transnational cyber fraud. In the last two years alone, Goa Police have busted over nine such illegal call centres primarily targeting foreign nationals. Citizens are urged to remain vigilant against unsolicited loan offers or requests for payment via gift cards. Report suspicious activities to the national cyber crime portal (cybercrime.gov.in) or helpline 1930.
