Noida: Police arrested four people for running a fake call centre in Sector 63 that allegedly cheated more than 500 job seekers across the country, offering fraudulent cruise ship employment.In a major crackdown on cyber fraud, the Cyber Crime unit and Sector 63 police in Noida busted a fake call centre that allegedly duped hundreds of job seekers by promising employment on cargo and cruise ships. Four accused, including the alleged kingpin, were arrested from H-Block, Sector 63, on Tuesday following a complaint lodged by an individual duped by the gang.While investigating a case filed by one of the people who was cheated by the gang, a joint team from the cyber crime unit and Sector 63 police station raided a call centre operating in Block H on Tuesday. The team found the four men, Nitin, Sachin, Aman and Virendra, operating a fake firm called Sea Zone Recruitment and Training. Police said they lured job seekers by offering them positions of technicians, fitters, labourers and cooks aboard ships.Additional deputy commissioner of police (Central Noida) RK Gautam said Nitin was the kingpin of the gang and the mastermind behind their operations.Police said the men told them they promoted attractive overseas job offers through social media platforms and internet advertisements.Police said that once candidates reached out to the purported firm, they were asked to pay amounts ranging between Rs 70,000 and Rs 1 lakh under various pretexts, such as registrations, interviews, medical fitness tests, training, work orders and visa processing. After collecting the money, the men switched off their mobile phones and went off the radar.Officers said the firm did not possess a valid GST registration, and payments were collected either in cash or transferred into personal bank accounts.Assistant commissioner of police Umesh Yadav said the gang targeted unemployed people from Uttar Pradesh and southern Indian states. The gang rented the office space for nearly Rs 50,000 per month and was planning to relocate again before being arrested.Station house officer Amit Kakran said police seized four laptops, 11 mobile phones, nine debit cards, Rs 12,000 cash, nine fake offer letters, medical documents, referral letters, five fabricated medical certificates and six candidate calling lists from the premises.Police are now investigating the involvement of other associates and tracing financial transactions linked to the fraud. Further arrests are likely as the probe continues.In the past couple of months, police have busted at least two gangs operating in the city with similar modus operandi. In the first case, four men were arrested from a fake call centre in Sector 132. The men were trying to wrap up operations and move to Aligarh when the arrests happened. In another case, six people were arrested after a fraudulent call centre bust in Sector 113. They had cheated over 350 people seeking jobs on cruises of Rs 1.5 crore.
