They called private bank credit card holders in the name of extension of credit limit and generation of PIN of new Credit Card. (Representative Image)The police recently busted an illegal call centre masquerading as a credit limit extension service, leading to the arrest of six cyber fraudsters in Delhi, Haryana, and Telangana. The operation exposed a network that allegedly duped citizens of nearly Rs 85 lakh by siphoning money from their credit cards and bank accounts.The case came to light after a Dwarka resident, Virender Kumar, 42, lodged a complaint in June, stating that he had received a call regarding the generation of a PIN for his newly issued private bank credit card. Soon after, he discovered an unauthorised transaction of Rs 2.81 lakh. A case was promptly registered, and investigators began tracing the money trail.According to the police, the accused were running a call centre in Vikaspuri in West Delhi. “They called private bank credit card holders in the name of extension of credit limit and generation of PIN of new Credit Card. They would then send an APK file to the customer’s phone and get unauthorised access to their mobile phone, including SMS. Thereafter, they used the entire credit card limit to transfer to mule accounts, which were operated by them, and also purchased high-value new mobile phones from e-commerce websites. Thereafter, they used to sell these mobile phones to retail mobile shops, impersonating as company dealers, offering mobile sales at discounted prices,” said Ankit Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dwarka.Technical surveillance revealed that calls to victims originated from Vikaspuri, while mule bank accounts and SIM cards were being managed from Panipat, Bhatinda, and Hyderabad, said the police. Raids were carried out simultaneously in Delhi and Telangana, leading to the arrest of six men identified as Vijay Kumar Sharma, the alleged kingpin, Moolchand Mishra, Gaurav, Hemant, Amit, and Pradeep Sahu. Vijay Sharma, the police said, ran the fake call centre with the help of four women employees who initially contacted potential victims before handing over calls to him.The police said Vijay Sharma, 46, is a commerce graduate with an LLB degree and software training, while others had relatively modest educational backgrounds, ranging from primary school to Class 12. From their possession, 41 mobile phones, a laptop, a router, and diaries containing bank customer data were seized.Investigators said 95 complaints linked to the seized phones were found on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, collectively reflecting a fraud of approximately Rs 85 lakh. The team cracked the case by analysing IP addresses, IMEI numbers, UPI transactions, telecom trails, and banking details, said the police.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:cyber crime