Kolkata, September 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
West Bengal Police have busted two alleged fake call centres operating from south Kolkata and arrested 67 people, including 41 women, for their suspected involvement in a nationwide fraud racket, officials said on Thursday.
The arrests followed successive raids on premises along Rajdanga Main Road in the Kasba area.
Acting on a tip-off, police raided a premises on Wednesday where several people were allegedly operating from an office-like setup and making calls to potential victims across the country. Officers seized 39 mobile phones, nine chargers, nine diaries, two ATM debit cards and Rs 16,000 in cash during the search.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused allegedly posed as representatives of telecom companies, banks and insurance firms to target victims with offers involving 5G mobile tower installations, high-return insurance schemes, health insurance policies and low-interest loans.
Victims were allegedly persuaded to transfer money to designated bank accounts in the name of processing fees and other charges. Police suspect that several of these accounts were used as mule accounts by the fraud network.
Investigators estimate that nearly 100 bank accounts were allegedly used by the racket over the past six months. The accused are suspected of collecting money in the name of telecom tower installation charges, loan processing fees and insurance packages.
Police also suspect that forged authorisation letters purportedly issued by banks, organisations and government agencies were used to gain the trust of potential victims.
Diaries and ledgers recovered during the raid allegedly contained details of prospective targets as well as scripted conversations designed to convince people to part with their money.
Investigators believe the call centre had earlier operated from the Patuli area before shifting to Rajdanga Main Road around a month ago.
During questioning, police discovered another similar operation functioning from the first floor of a nearby building on the same road. A follow-up raid resulted in the arrest of 27 more people, including 18 women and nine men. Police seized 32 mobile phones and four registers from the second premises.
According to investigators, both call centres were allegedly being operated by Sandeep Banerjee, a resident of Nayabad, along with unidentified associates.
Police are now investigating the wider network, including the identities of other alleged conspirators and the total amount suspected to have been siphoned off from victims.
All 67 accused have been booked under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
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