India probes Nashik call centers in global money laundering case
NEW DELHI, INDIA — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Mumbai unit has launched a money laundering investigation into two fraudulent call centers operating in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, following a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) crackdown that exposed a sprawling international cyber fraud targeting victims across the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, Hindustan Times reports.
Fraud call centers duped U.S., UK, and Canadian victims
The probe stems from CBI operations in August and September that unearthed two major scams—one run out of a rented resort in Igatpuri and another operating from Nashik city.
These call centers posed as legitimate customer service departments of e-commerce companies, deceiving foreign nationals into paying false “cancellation charges.”
According to officials, the fraudsters employed cryptocurrency and digital gift cards to collect money from victims.
“During searches, 62 employees working in the call center were found operating live and in the process of cheating foreign nationals,” a CBI official said in August.
The CBI seized ₹1.2 crore (US$145,000) in unaccounted cash, 500 grams of gold, and seven luxury vehicles worth ₹1 crore (US$120,000) during the raid.
In the Igatpuri case, five individuals—V. Yadav, Shebaz, Durgesh, A. Raj alias Raja, and Sameer alias Kalia—were arrested for orchestrating the operation.
They allegedly impersonated customer-support staff to mislead victims about pending orders, persuading them to pay for cancellations.
Public servant links, UK-focused BPO scam under scrutiny
A second set of call centers, run by accused G. Kamankar and S. Kamankar, reportedly operated from a bungalow on Nashik’s Trimbak Road and primarily targeted United Kingdom citizens.
Investigators said the group ran these hubs under the guise of business process outsourcing (BPO) entities—a tactic to appear legitimate.
The CBI has also uncovered links suggesting that public servants, including police and bank officials, may have accepted cash and in-kind bribes in exchange for turning a blind eye.
Investigations revealed that around 60 people worked at these Nashik call centers, which relied on VoIP technology, spoofed phone numbers, and fake credentials to extract sensitive banking data.
Victims were convinced to purchase “non-existent insurance policies,” according to officials.
India’s outsourcing sector must tighten fraud controls
While these scams have stained India’s reputation in the outsourcing landscape, experts stress that legitimate BPOs continue to uphold global standards of compliance and trust. The rise of such fraudulent “shadow call centers” underscores the need for tighter verification and regulatory oversight.
As outsourcing remains a pillar of India’s economy, stronger due diligence both from clients abroad and regulators at home will be key to safeguarding the sector’s credibility in the global market.
