A gang operating a fake call centre under the guise of offering lucrative holiday packages was busted by Noida Police on Saturday. The operation culminated in the arrest of 32 individuals, including 17 women, who allegedly defrauded unsuspecting victims out of lakhs of rupees.
The gang, posing as representatives of ‘Country Holiday Travel India Limited’, set up a call centre in Noida’s Sector 63, promising enticing vacation deals. Instead of delivering the promised packages, they siphoned off the funds and vanished, leaving victims frustrated and out of pocket. Police seized a cache of equipment, including four laptops, three monitors, three keyboards, three CPUs, four chargers, two routers, three switches, three iPads, a mobile phone, and several documents, during the operation.
The Modus Operandi
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Central Noida, Shakti Mohan Awasthi, the fraudulent enterprise targeted hundreds of individuals over two years. The gang lured customers with seemingly attractive holiday packages, such as nine-day luxury trips costing upwards of Rs 2.5 lakh. However, after receiving payments, the suspects either delayed responses indefinitely or disappeared entirely.
Trigger For Action
The bust came after Anita, a resident of Amrapali Eden Park apartment, lodged a formal complaint against the fraudulent company. She claimed paying Rs 84,000 for a nine-day package supposedly booked at an ITC hotel. When the booking failed to materialise and no refund was issued, Anita alerted the police. Her case led the police to uncover additional complaints from Noida and Pune.
During the investigation, the police found five online grievances and one written complaint against the firm. These complaints detailed packages sold for exorbitant prices of Rs 2.5 to Rs 2.8 lakh.
The raid on the call centre resulted in the arrest of 32 individuals, including 17 women.