Ahmedabad, September 25, 2025 (Yes Punjab News)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a key accused in a transnational cyber-enabled financial fraud case involving illegal call centres in Ahmedabad that allegedly defrauded US nationals of more than $7.21 million.
Ankit Satishchandra Pandey was arrested by the CBI on September 23 in connection with a case registered on September 8 against him and other unidentified accused, the agency said.
According to the CBI, the case relates to a large-scale fraud syndicate allegedly operating through illegal call centres in Ahmedabad since 2024. The accused allegedly impersonated officials of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), US Attorney’s Office, Critical Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and other federal agencies.
Through Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications, the accused allegedly told victims that their identities had been misused to access child pornography through their computer systems. They then allegedly pressured the victims to withdraw money from their bank accounts, purchase gold and hand it over to couriers operating in the US.
Following registration of the case, the CBI conducted searches at locations in Ahmedabad linked to the accused and seized electronic devices containing digital evidence.
The agency said Pandey was allegedly instrumental in establishing and operating the illegal call centre and was arrested following an investigation that included digital tracking of those involved.
The CBI said it had earlier unearthed a similar gang targeting US nationals from Mumbai and Pune and arrested three accused in that case.
That syndicate allegedly used impersonation, phishing calls and financial deception to target foreign nationals, particularly US citizens. According to the CBI, the operation, active since January 2025, used spoofed VoIP calls originating from an illegal call centre in Pune.
The accused in that case allegedly posed as officials of US agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), as well as personnel of Indian missions. Victims were allegedly threatened with legal consequences and coerced into making payments ranging from $500 to $3,000 through gift cards or cryptocurrency transfers.
The investigation also allegedly found that the fraudulent operation generated illegal proceeds estimated at Rs 3 crore to Rs 4 crore per month. The money was allegedly laundered through mule bank accounts, cryptocurrency wallets and hawala networks.
The CBI said call centre employees, many of whom were housed in residential flats in Pune, were paid in cash routed through hawala channels from within India and abroad, including the US, as well as from Maharashtra and Gujarat.
FOLLOW NOW
