Panchkaula: The cybercrime cell has smashed a fake tech-support centre targeting US citizens, arresting 21 people during a midnight raid in this Haryana town.A joint task force of state cyber operatives and tactical units stormed a commercial building in Panchkula’s Sector 2, catching dozens of operators mid-call. The members of the syndicate allegedly disguised themselves as Amazon USA helpdesk staff to hijack the computers of unsuspecting Americans.Investigators said the racket relied on cold-calling victims to flag fictitious account security issues. Operators then duped targets into downloading remote-access software, giving the syndicate complete control over the victims’ computers. The fraudsters drained bank accounts by forcing victims to purchase retail gift cards, which were laundered instantly into cash.Raiding officers seized 19 computer terminals, a hard cryptocurrency wallet, a cash-counting machine, ₹11.3 lakh in cash, counterfeit foreign bank notes, and a stash of diamond and gold jewellery.Panchkula police commissioner, Pankaj Nain, said the operation had exposed a transnational network that was actively damaging India’s digital reputation abroad. Preliminary forensic audits of the seized equipment have already uncovered international money-laundering pipelines, with the stolen funds routed through black-market hawala networks and encrypted token assets.A magistrate remanded the four suspected masterminds to a week of high-security police custody, while 17 low-level operators were granted bail pending trial.
