Mohali, July 11:Mohali police busted yet another fake call centre—this time operating out of Industrial Area Phase 8B—arresting six men for allegedly duping foreign nationals of nearly ₹16 lakh in a bogus tech-support scam. This is the fourth such operation dismantled in Mohali in less than a month, reflecting the district’s growing emergence as a hub for cyber fraud.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Rohit Mehra (the centre’s registered operator), Jitesh Kumar of Ludhiana, Anvar Rodrix of Goa, Somdev and Anthony of Kolkata, and Budha Bhushan Kamle of Pune. The alleged mastermind, Alex, is currently on the run.
“The call centre had been operational for only 8 to 10 days, yet had already managed to scam foreign nationals using fraudulent pop-up ads and search engine traps,” said SP Deepika Singh. “The accused lured victims by creating fake technical glitch alerts online. Once the victims called back, they were convinced to purchase Apple or Walmart gift cards under the guise of antivirus software upgrades.”
The scammers would then steal the codes from the gift cards and siphon off the money, Singh explained. Police recovered six laptops, three mobile phones, and other digital devices used in the operation.
An FIR has been filed under Sections 318(4) (cheating) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act. The arrested men have been sent to five-day police remand as authorities investigate their criminal backgrounds and possible links to previously busted rackets.
“We’re probing whether this group is connected to other fake centres busted recently,” Singh added.
A Pattern of Fraud Emerging in Mohali
The latest crackdown adds to a disturbing pattern of cybercrime in the region. On June 23, police raided two illegal call centres in Phase 7, arresting 10 people who posed as PayPal agents and scammed international victims by claiming their accounts had been hacked.
In a parallel operation on the same day, another team busted a fake travel agency, MS Wyenwa Travel Pvt Ltd, which defrauded foreigners by offering bogus air tickets on a website called trialpro.com.
On June 18, cyber police dismantled a fraudulent operation in Sector 91 that was allegedly part of a ₹50 crore scam involving fake cryptocurrency transaction alerts. Eight people, including a woman, were arrested.
Authorities say the pattern suggests an organised network with pan-India reach operating from rented flats and commercial spaces in Mohali. Investigations into the broader nexus are ongoing.
