Gujarat: Ahmedabad Cyber Cell busts illegal call centre targeting Canadians, four arrested​

Four people have been arrested in Ahmedabad for allegedly operating an illegal call centre that targeted Canadian citizens by impersonating tax officials and extracting money through fraudulent means, police said on Tuesday.​

The Cyber Crime Branch carried out a raid on the night of March 14 in the Chandkheda area following specific intelligence received.​

According to police, the accused were operating from a flat owned by the family of Ashu Patel (co-accused).​

The family resided on the ground floor, while the accused used the first floor to run the call centre, reportedly telling family members they were playing video games.​

Officials said the call centre had been functioning at this location since February this year, after earlier operating from the Naranpura area.​

The arrested accused have been identified as Kush Patel (29), Harsh Patel (28), Ashu Patel (29), and Sunil Rawat (28).​

Two other accused, Shivang Dashmana and Falgun Patel, are absconding.​

Investigators described Falgun Patel as the main accused, alleging he had previously operated similar call centres in Chandigarh and Udaipur in 2025 and had been targeting both United States and Canadian citizens.​

Cyber Cell ACP Hardik Makadia said, “We have arrested four accused and seized six laptops and five mobile phones. The main accused, Falgun Patel, is absconding and had earlier operated such call centres from Chandigarh and other places. This call centre started in February this year in this area and had previously operated from Naranpura. The accused were targeting Canadian citizens by impersonating officers of the Canada Revenue Agency, and Shivang used to act as an agent to speak with victims.”​

Adding further, a senior official told IANS: “Through ‘Eye-Beam’, they used to generate nearly 14,000 new numbers daily, of which around 2,000 calls were answered. The operation used to run from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m."​

Police said the accused used VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) software known as “Eye-Beam” to place calls and pose as officials from the Canada Revenue Agency.​

They would contact Canadian citizens, gain their trust and collect personal details such as names, addresses and postal codes.​

Victims were then told that a request had been made to withdraw funds from their Tax-Free Savings Account at Royal Bank of Canada.​

When victims denied knowledge, the accused allegedly claimed that multiple accounts had been opened in their name and that their personal information had been compromised.​

They further warned that the victims could be facing identity theft and online fraud due to a compromised IP address.​

The victims were then advised to contact the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), after which the accused would obtain financial and sensitive information.​

This information was passed on to co-accused Shivang, who, under the pretext of processing the case, allegedly persuaded victims to transfer money through gift cards of various companies.​

Police said the accused had been hired by Falgun Patel on a monthly salary of Rs 20,000 along with incentives.​

A case has been registered under sections 61(2)(A), 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.​

The four arrested accused have been remanded in police custody for five days. During the raid, police seized six laptops, five mobile phones, four telephones, and one keyboard, with an estimated total value of Rs 1.87 lakh.​

Officials said Harsh Patel had previously been arrested in 2025 in a similar illegal call centre case registered at Savina police station in Udaipur.​

Sunil Rawat is also suspected to have earlier operated such call centres in Chandigarh along with Falgun Patel, who is believed to have been running a network of such operations across multiple locations.​

Efforts are ongoing to trace the absconding accused.​

Picture Courtesy: IANS