Thane: In a major crackdown against cybercrime, the Property Cell of the Thane Crime Branch dismantled an illegal call center operating in the Amrut Nagar locality of Mumbra. The fraudulent setup was reportedly involved in targeting and financially cheating American citizens through online scams.
Acting on a tip-off received by Senior Police Inspector Gorakhnath Gharge, a police team conducted a midnight raid at approximately 1:35 AM on June 12, under the guidance of senior officials. The illegal operation, running under the name 'M3J Global Connect Pvt. Ltd.', was located on the second floor of the DG City building. Ten individuals were taken into custody during the operation.
Modus Operandi
Investigations revealed that the accused posed as representatives of 'McAfee Security Services' to contact US citizens. They deceptively informed targets that their computers were infected with viruses. Under the pretext of resolving the technical issue, they obtained remote access to the victims' computers, extracted sensitive banking information, and defrauded them of substantial sums of money.
Seizures and Arrests
During the raid, authorities seized incriminating digital evidence used to execute the scams. The confiscated items, valued at approximately ₹70,000, include:
Calling scripts and software used to dupe victims
Data logs containing details of American clients and their bank accounts
Four SSD hard disks
An iPhone and a pen drive
Other electronic equipment
The main operator of the call center has been identified as Nadeem Naseem Shaikh (34), a resident of Rabodi. Along with Shaikh, nine dialers aged between 21 and 28, all residents of Mumbra, were detained.
Legal Action
Following a complaint filed by Police Sub-Inspector Sheetal Patil of the Property Cell, a case has been registered at the Mumbra Police Station. The accused face charges under sections 316(2), 318(4), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), alongside sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology (IT) Act. Further investigation into the network is currently underway.
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