Ahmedabad Police have uncovered a sprawling call-centre operation that allegedly swindled Indians living abroad by selling fake medical packages and collecting payments in US dollars.
At least 24 employees, including women along with the suspected mastermind, 35-year-old Abhishek Ramnarayan Pathak, have been picked up after searching a commercial office on Ashram Road. Pathak has been remanded to two-day police custody.
Navrangpura Police told media persons that the group was working under the name Moonrise Remedy Care Pvt Ltd, operating out of Office No. 1204 C&D in the Sakar-9 building near City Gold, Navrangpura.
Investigators believe the team sourced phone numbers of non-resident Indians through online servers, contacted them while posing as US-based representatives, and pitched fraudulent “medicine schemes” for various ailments.
Tip-Off leads to midnight operation
The raid was triggered late on November 24. Around 11 pm, a patrol team was moving through the Navrangpura locality when, at approximately 12.30 am, Constable Jitendrasinh Ranjitsinh received information that a call centre in Sakar-9 was “cheating Indians abroad by charging $600 for bogus medical packages.”
Acting swiftly, officers reached the premises to find the office lights switched on but the door locked from inside. As they waited, a young man stepped out and was immediately detained. Identifying himself as Karansinh Baldevsinh Chauhan, he told police he worked as a team leader and confirmed that the office routinely targeted Indians overseas with medical-package pitches.
Chauhan also revealed that director Pathak was inside. On police instruction, he called Pathak, who then opened the door.
Director allegedly confesses to modus operandi
According to the FIR, Pathak admitted during initial questioning that although the company was registered in his brother’s name, he was running the operation. He allegedly explained that employees contacted numbers pulled from online databases, disguised their identity as callers from the United States, and promoted medicines for various health conditions.
Police said Pathak went on to acknowledge that:
- Customers were typically asked to pay around $600 in advance via online payment links.
- In most cases, no products were sent after payments were received.
- When medicines were dispatched, they were of substandard quality and shipped only to prevent refund requests.
- Complaints or refund demands were ignored entirely.
Employees caught making live calls
Once inside, officers found 12 staffers seated at separate terminals, reportedly speaking to overseas numbers in real time. A female officer was brought in to search the women employees.
Investigators noted that each desk was fitted with a computer displaying a dialler interface, Google spreadsheets containing contact information of overseas Indians, and logs of ongoing and previous calls.
Electronic equipment seized
Police recovered a substantial amount of hardware and digital tools from the office, including:
- Several CPUs and all-in-one desktop systems
- High-end mobile phones
- Multiple SIM cards
- Dialler software showing both active and historical call records
Police call it a planned fraud targeting overseas Indians
Officials stated that the group had “deliberately hatched a conspiracy” to cheat non-resident Indians by taking advantage of their health concerns and trust. The operation is suspected to have been running for several months, with employees assigned daily call quotas.
The FIR includes sections pertaining to cheating, criminal breach of trust, conspiracy, and violations under India’s telecommunications and IT laws.
More arrests expected
Pathak and all employees were taken in for questioning. Police said that digital forensics on the seized computers and phones will help determine the scale of the operation and the number of people affected.
Authorities also plan to reach out to international payment platforms used in the transactions and track the bank accounts tied to the operation. Investigators sought a seven-day police remand for Pathak to follow the money trail, examine digital evidence, identify foreign victims, and check for links to similar call centres. However, the court granted only two days’ custody.
Navrangpura police added that more arrests could follow as the financial and digital analysis progresses.
Also Read: Call Centre Racket Busted, 13 Arrested In Ahmedabad https://www.vibesofindia.com/call-centre-racket-busted-13-arrested-in-ahmedabad/
