Police have arrested 119 suspects linked to an international cyber fraud syndicate that operated a “fake” call centre here and allegedly targeted US citizens by impersonating employees of leading US-based tech firms and federal agencies, officials said on Thursday.
The alleged cyber fraud network was busted following a Wednesday raid at an 11-floor office space in the Summit Building in the state capital, where the call centre was operating under the name “Solaris Solutions”, Lucknow Police Commissioner Amrendra Kumar Sengar said during a press conference.
Police said the call centre functioned primarily at night to match US working hours and was equipped with internet-based calling systems, VoIP technology and the banned Eyebeam Dialer software to contact victims overseas while concealing callers’ identities.
According to investigators, the syndicate followed a structured, multi-layered operating model resembling a corporate business, with separate teams assigned different tasks to facilitate the fraud.
The first “baiting” team allegedly sent text messages warning recipients that their Amazon, Apple or Samsung accounts had been linked to criminal activities such as circulation of child pornographic content, drug trafficking or terrorism and asked them to call a toll-free number to prove their innocence.
Once victims responded, a “dialer” team convinced them that their identities and bank accounts had been compromised.
The calls were then transferred to a “banker” team, which allegedly persuaded victims to disclose bank balances, account details and other financial details.
Finally, a “closer” team posing as senior officials of US agencies — including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), US Marshals Service, United States Treasury Department and United States District Court — allegedly threatened victims with arrest and prosecution unless they transferred their money to “safe” channels.
Police said victims were instructed to convert their savings into gift cards, cryptocurrency or cash. In some cases, cash or gold was allegedly collected from addresses in the US through intermediaries.
To reinforce the deception, the accused allegedly emailed forged court orders, identity theft reports, FTC letters, investigation reports and non-disclosure agreements resembling official US government documents.
Investigators said the syndicate deliberately avoided conventional banking channels, instead receiving money through gift cards, cryptocurrency and digital vouchers to make financial transactions difficult to trace.
Police said the network recruited people with experience in business process outsourcing (BPO) and international calling from several Indian states. Employees were allegedly provided accommodation in Lucknow but were not issued formal appointment letters or employment contracts.
During the raid, police seized 103 laptops, 177 mobile phones used for international calling, 116 headsets, eight internet routers, a biometric device, digital records, forged documents and other electronic evidence.
Investigators also recovered calling scripts, databases containing details of foreign nationals and fake government documents used during the fraud.
Among those arrested are alleged operation managers Lalit Khairajani and Vikram Singh Parmar. Police said all 119 people detained during Wednesday’s raid have been formally arrested.
The operation was carried out by a joint team of the Cyber Crime Cell and Cyber Crime Police Station under supervision of Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime and Headquarters) Aparna Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police Babloo Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Anil Kumar Yadav and Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Kiran Yadav.
A case has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology Act and the Telecommunications Act.
Police Commissioner Sengar said forensic examination of the seized electronic devices is under way to identify the syndicate’s overseas links, email accounts, servers, financial beneficiaries and the full extent of what investigators believe is a well-organised international cyber fraud network targeting US nationals.
