Belagavi Police Bust International Call Centre Scam Targeting US Citizens, 33 Held
Karnataka Police bust major Belagavi call-centre scam targeting US citizens.
In a major crackdown on cross-border cyber fraud, Karnataka Police raided an illegal international call centre in Belagavi that had allegedly been defrauding US citizens using scripted scam calls. Acting on a tip-off from the Intelligence Security Division in Bengaluru, police launched a coordinated operation to shut down the racket operating from Bauxite Road in Belagavi.
During the raid, officials arrested 33 people, including 28 men and five women, who were allegedly involved in running the fraudulent business. The accused hail from nine different states—Assam, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal—and at least one suspect is from Nepal. The arrests mark one of the largest coordinated actions against cyber crime syndicates in the region.
The police seized 37 laptops, 37 mobile phones, and several systems configured with VoIP software and Urban VPN tools, which were used to disguise the origin of calls. The setup enabled scammers to make their communications appear as though they originated from the United States. Investigations reveal that the operators used 11 different pre-written scripts to deceive American citizens, impersonating officials and manipulating them into transferring money.
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Preliminary findings suggest that the masterminds behind the network are operating out of Gujarat and West Bengal. Law enforcement agencies are now working to identify and arrest those key suspects. Belagavi Police Commissioner Borse Bhushan Gulabra stated that authorities would coordinate with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Interpol to contact the affected US citizens and obtain their statements.
A case has been registered under multiple laws, including sections 66C, 66D, and 75 of the Information Technology Act; section 319 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (for cheating); sections 48 and 49 of the BNS (for offences committed outside India); and section 42 of the Telecommunications Act. The police confirmed that a deeper investigation is underway to uncover the scale of the operation and the international links of the syndicate.
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