Did CBI Uncover Two Illegal Call Centres in Nashik and Arrest Two for Cyber Fraud?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- CBI arrests two individuals for cyber fraud.
- Illegal call centres deceived British nationals.
- Advanced techniques like VoIP were used in the fraud.
- Incriminating evidence recovered during CBI searches.
- Ongoing issues with cybersecurity highlighted by this case.
Nashik, Sep 14 (NationPress) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) apprehended two individuals involved in cyber fraud within Nashik, accused of deceiving British citizens by posing as insurance agents and government officials, as stated by an official from the agency on Sunday.
Ganesh and Shyam Kamankar were detained for running two unlawful call centres named Swagan Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd, employing approximately 60 workers, as reported by the official in a statement.
These call centres utilized Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), spoofed numbers, and counterfeit documents to manipulate victims into revealing their credit and debit card information, as well as making payments for non-existent insurance policies, according to the CBI.
The federal investigation agency initiated the case on September 11 against four individuals and unidentified public servants for allegedly operating these illegal establishments in Nashik.
The filed complaint indicated that Swagan Business Solutions was deceiving British nationals by impersonating insurance agents and government representatives.
Following the case registration, the CBI executed searches at multiple locations in Nashik and Kalyan (Thane), which resulted in the recovery of significant digital evidence, including victim data, fraudulent insurance policy scripts, eight mobile devices, eight computer systems/servers, and an unexplained sum of Rs 5 lakh.
The illicit proceeds were purportedly funneled through PayPal and banking channels, overseen by the accused individuals, as per the CBI.
In an unrelated incident, the CBI recently arrested three Military Engineer Services (MES) officers in Madhya Pradesh along with a middleman for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 80,000 from a contractor for repair and maintenance work, as stated by an official on Friday.
The arrested individuals were identified as Nitesh Kumar Singh, Garrison Engineer (GE) at MES, Sagar, Rakesh Sahu, Assistant Garrison Engineer (AGE) at MES, Deepak, Junior Engineer (JE) at MES, and middleman Rajesh Mishra.
The CBI initiated a case on September 11 based on a complaint by Ajay Kumar, an employee of the firm Shree Balaji Associates, who alleged that the accused public servants demanded a bribe of Rs 1 lakh to expedite the firm’s execution of a Rs 26.58 lakh contract.
The FIR was filed under Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, concerning attempts to accept undue advantage, and Section 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.