Kolkata: The Kolkata Police on Wednesday busted a fraudulent call centre operating in the Dalhousie area of central Kolkata and arrested six people, including five women, for allegedly cheating people across the country by promising lifetime internet access under a fictitious Pradhan Mantri Wi-Fi Yojana, a senior police officer said on Thursday (November 5), IANS reported. The accused allegedly posed as government representatives and collected money from unsuspecting people in the name of the purported scheme.

Source: IANS via The Freedom Press

The call centre ran a scripted operation from a rented premises at Government Place (East) in Dalhousie. Telecallers allegedly told victims that the government had launched a new Pradhan Mantri Wi-Fi Yojana offering lifetime internet access in exchange for a nominal upfront payment. No such scheme exists under the Government of India, Nation Press reported.

Source: Nation Press

6People arrested in the Dalhousie call centre raid
5Women among those arrested
1Fictitious scheme — no 'PM Wi-Fi Yojana' exists

Krishnendu Saha, identified by police as the manager of the call centre, is among those arrested. During the raid, detectives seized multiple mobile phones, laptops, a large customer database and a written script that telecallers reportedly used to persuade victims, Nation Press reported.

Source: Nation Press

Investigators suspect the fraudsters cheated people of crores of rupees through the operation, though police have not yet placed a confirmed figure on the total amount defrauded. Police have launched a detailed probe to establish the extent of the fraud, identify other members of the racket and trace the money collected from victims, IANS reported. All the allegations are under investigation and are yet to be established in court.

Source: IANS via The Freedom Press