Hyderabad: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested four more accused in a transnational call centre fraud that allegedly cheated 549 US residents of approximately $27.39 million (around Rs 261 crore). The arrests were made by the agency’s Hyderabad Zonal Office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), taking the total number of arrests in the case to seven.
The latest accused have been identified as Harshil Nayanbhai Raval, Jaswant Singh, Chetan Munjal and Pranav Pithadia. They were produced before a special court in Nampally and remanded to judicial custody. The agency had earlier arrested three others between July and August.
Investigators found that the network operated three fraudulent call centres in Patiala, Pune and Chandigarh, employing around 220 people. Searches conducted on September 15 led to the seizure of cash, records and digital devices. Forensic examination of 79 devices reportedly uncovered victim details, calling records, financial ledgers and cryptocurrency wallets.
According to the ED, employees posed as US government officials, including representatives of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Department of Justice. Victims, many of them elderly, were threatened with arrest and told their bank accounts were linked to criminal activities. They were pressured into handing over gold and cash, transferring money to mule accounts or purchasing cryptocurrency and gift cards.
The syndicate allegedly used nearly 20 lakh US telephone numbers, with automated calling systems hosted on servers in Germany and Finland. The proceeds were routed through Dubai and Hong Kong before reaching India through cryptocurrency, hawala and angadia channels.
The investigation has identified 927 approved collections worth approximately $27.39 million between July 2025 and September 2026. The ED is continuing its probe to trace additional proceeds and identify other individuals involved.
