Mumbai Crime Branch Busts Malad Call Centre For Alleged Franchise Fraud, Detains Nine Including Owners

Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch’s Unit 10 has busted an alleged fraudulent call centre operating from Malad and detained nine people, including two company owners, three heads of departments and three managers, for allegedly cheating people by promising them courier and e-commerce franchise businesses. The nine persons detained by the police have been identified as Devendra Arvind Virkar (32) – company owner, Kamlesh Mohan Shah (40) – company owner, Nafis Anis Ansari (34) – HOD, Danish Amir Beg (32) – HOD, Satyaprakash Lalbihari Yadav (37) – HOD, Shoaib Mohammad Sheikh (30) – HOD, Sahil Aslam Varunkar (31) – manager, Shiva Baburao Baste (27) – manager, Gautam C.L. (25) – manager.

Raid conducted at Malad office

According to the police, the action was carried out on August 24 at the office of Insta Transfer Biz Pvt. Ltd., located at Evershine Mall, Link Road, Malad West. Acting on confidential information, a team led by Crime Branch officials conducted a raid at around 3.15 pm.

During the raid, police found around 35 to 40 people working on desktop computers at the premises. The two persons present at the office, Devendra Arvind Virkar (32) and Kamlesh Mohan Shah (40), allegedly identified themselves as the owners of the company.

Alleged fake franchise scheme:

During questioning, the employees allegedly told police that the call centre was being used to contact prospective customers through telephone and WhatsApp. They allegedly claimed that the company had tie-ups with several major courier and e-commerce companies, including Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Blue Dart, DTDC and BigBasket.

The prospective customers were allegedly offered “lifetime franchises” after making a fixed investment. The accused allegedly promised them courier and delivery business and assured them of returns on their investment.

Police, however, found that the company allegedly had a business arrangement with Flipkart, while the callers were allegedly falsely claiming tie-ups with several other companies to attract customers and obtain franchise investments. The telecallers allegedly contacted prospective customers and forwarded their details to team leaders and managers. The customers were then allegedly called to the office, where notarised franchise agreements were prepared.

Digital evidence seized:

During the search, Crime Branch officials, with the assistance of cyber expert Pravin Kinge, examined the computers and laptops being used at the premises.

Police seized and examined data from several devices, including customer lists, franchise agreements, accounting records, GST and TDS data, emails, payment records and correspondence relating to customer complaints.

Police also recovered a script allegedly used by telecallers. Several emails and documents related to customer complaints and refunds were reportedly found on the computers. Investigators also found details of company bank accounts with Axis Bank, RBL Bank and ICICI Bank, which have been taken on record as part of the investigation.

The police further seized data from the computers of employees working in the accounts, operations and customer-care departments. A company email account allegedly contained numerous complaints from customers regarding refunds and the company’s operations.

105 hard disks, 32 laptops seized: According to police, a total of 105 hard disks were removed from CPUs used at the call centre and seized for further investigation. Their estimated value is around ₹8.40 lakh.Police also seized 32 laptops, estimated to be worth around ₹8 lakh, which were allegedly being used by telecallers. In addition, 20 mobile phones, five Samsung tablets, a TP-Link router and a Hikvision CCTV digital video recorder were seized.

Digital data from several computers and mobile phones was copied onto a 64GB pen drive and secured as evidence. Police also collected printouts and screenshots of customer records, franchise-related documents and complaints.

Franchise holders allege they were cheated : During the investigation, police contacted several persons who had allegedly invested money to obtain franchises from the company. The complainants allegedly told police that they had paid deposits after being promised business opportunities, but the company allegedly failed to provide the promised work. They further alleged that their calls were not answered and that their deposits were not refunded despite repeated requests.

Police recorded conversations with several alleged victims as part of the investigation. According to the complaint, more than 10 people were allegedly cheated of a total ₹14.55 lakh through the franchise scheme.

The police said the accused allegedly acted in connivance with one another and used telecallers to approach potential customers with misleading claims about the company’s business tie-ups.

Case registered

A case has been registered at Bangur Nagar Police Station under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with Section 66D of the Information Technology Act.

The investigation has been handed over to Crime Branch Unit 10. Police are examining the seized digital devices, financial records and franchise agreements to determine the total number of victims and the overall amount allegedly collected by the company.

The seized electronic devices and documents are being examined as part of the ongoing investigation.

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