Police bust fake call centre, detain 116 people for duping US citizens
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (PTI): Police in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Tuesday busted a fake call centre and detained 116 people, including a juvenile, allegedly involved in stealing the data of US citizens and duping them, an official said.
The police took the action based on intelligence inputs, he said.
"After receiving information about an illegal call centre being run in the city, the police raided the facility - Connect Enterprises - around 1.30 pm. It was a full-fledged call centre operated by Ahmedabad-based Valay Vyas, who is among the detained persons," the official said.
"People employed there used to call American citizens and inform them about their pending tax dues. The callers would then threaten the US citizens about the penalty, while their colleagues would act as negotiators and ask the victims to buy digital gift cards of the amount of their dues," inspector Geeta Bagawade told reporters.
"Based on the number printed on the gift cards, the callers would siphon off the amount in USD, which would then be converted into crypto currency," she said.
Those employed at the call centre were paid Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 salary per month and would be given an incentive of Rs three per USD, the official said.
When the cyber team examined the laptops at the call centre, they were found storing the personal data of US citizens, tax receipts, court orders, fake documents mentioning the names of US officials, the script given to interact with the victims and the list of amount siphoned off, the official added.
The city police detained 116 persons, including a juvenile, who hail from various states in India, according to the official.
"The people here allegedly cheated American as well as other foreigners. It was also found that they worked for a person named John who is a partner in the business," the official said.
The process to register a case in this connection was underway in MIDC CIDCO police station here, the official said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Siddaramaiah in 'helpless situation', under some 'compulsion', claims Cong MLA Rajanna
_vb_05.jpeg)
Bengaluru (PTI): Amid claims that Siddaramaiah's confidants are being targeted within the ruling Congress in Karnataka, following recent actions against some party leaders, senior MLA K N Rajanna on Friday alleged that the chief minister is "helpless" and under some "compulsion" as he is not standing up to defend his people.
The comments from the former minister, who is considered close to Siddaramaiah, came after Congress took action against some of its minority community leaders--considered close to the CM--following allegations of an internal conspiracy against the party candidate in the Davanagere South bypoll held on April 9.
Rajanna himself was sacked from the Ministry last August on the instructions of the party high command, following his alleged comments criticising top party leader Rahul Gandhi's "vote theft" charge.
"There will be vested interests in the party who will try to conspire against those who have been loyal to the party and want the party to grow for the welfare of the people. Nothing can be done about it. What we expect from our chief minister is that when such a situation arises, he should stand strong, but he is not standing and that is a sad thing," Rajanna said in response to a question whether Siddaramaiah's followers were being targeted in Congress.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "... I don't know what his thinking is. But we did not expect such a helpless situation from Siddaramaiah."
When asked who had made Siddaramaiah helpless, the former minister said, "I won't say who, you understand it yourself."
"People are saying that those close to Siddaramaiah are being targeted...I don't know what compulsions Siddaramaiah has. If he tells, we can know, but he won't say. I don't know under what compulsion he is following this neutrality," he said, adding that the CM is helpless and a person becomes "helpless" when his/her voice shrinks.
The Congress recently suspended MLC K Abdul Jabbar from the party's primary membership and relieved another MLC Naseer Ahmed from the post of chief minister's political secretary. This action came after a group of Muslim leaders accused members of their own party of "conspiracy" to defeat the official candidate in Davanagere South.
Following the action against Jabbar and Naseer Ahmed, speculation is that Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan may also face action during the next cabinet rejig, as these three wanted a Muslim to get the bypoll ticket in Davanagere South, which the party gave to the late MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa's grandson Samarth Mallikarjun. They also did not actively participate in campaigning.
Citing a Kannada saying that there is no punishment for the mistakes committed by the King, Rajanna, in what seemed to be a veiled dig at Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, asked, "Does sharing a stage with a person (referring to Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev) who said, 'Who is Rahul Gandhi? I don't know,' not amount to indiscipline?"
Referring to AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge's statement on whether poverty could be ended by taking a dip in the Ganga at Prayagraj, he said, "...but this person (again referring to Shivakumar) goes there and compliments UP CM Yogi Adityanath for arrangements made for the Kumbh Mela. He also goes to Ambani family marriage, while Rahul Gandhi did not even accept the invitation."
"I'm not saying that action should be taken against this person too, but the party will have to observe these things also," he added.
Rajanna further pointed out that no action was taken when veteran Congress leader and late MLA from Davanagere South Shamanur Shivashankarappa made a speech seeking votes for BJP candidate B Y Raghavandra during Shivamogga Lok Sabha polls, and asked if this did not amount to indiscipline.
"The same people were at the helm then (referring to Shivakumar as KPCC chief), even a verbal warning was not given to him (Shivashankarappa)," he said, adding that, similarly no action was taken when Samarth Shamanur filed his nomination in Davanagere South before the party announced its candidate for Davanagere South-- that was also an act of indiscipline.
_vb_92.jpeg)
_vb_68.jpeg)