CBI Arrests Gujarat Man in USD 7.21 Million US Cyber Fraud Case

The CBI has arrested an accused in a transnational cyber-financial fraud case in which US nationals were allegedly cheated of more than USD 7.21 million through illegal call centres in Gujarat over the past two years, officials said Friday.

The agency arrested Ankit Satishchandra Pandey on September 23. He allegedly played a key role in establishing and operating an illegal call centre used to target US citizens, officials said.

According to the CBI, the accused persons allegedly impersonated officials of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), US Attorney, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and other federal agencies while communicating with victims through Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls.

The victims were allegedly told that their identities had been used by someone to access child pornography through their computer systems, the agency said.

The callers then allegedly induced the victims to withdraw funds from their bank accounts, purchase gold and hand it over to courier persons engaged by the fraudsters in the United States.

As part of the investigation, the agency conducted extensive searches at locations in Ahmedabad associated with Pandey, officials said. The searches led to the seizure of incriminating electronic devices containing digital evidence.

The CBI said Pandey was instrumental in establishing and operating the illegal call centre. The recovered electronic devices and digital material are part of the agency's investigation into the alleged financial fraud operation.

The CBI is examining the evidence gathered during the searches as part of its ongoing investigation into the alleged fraud. Further details about other persons allegedly involved in the operation were not provided in the statement.

The arrest and searches were carried out as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged operation. The agency is examining the seized material and the role of persons connected with the call centre. The agency's statement did not specify the charges against Pandey or provide details of court proceedings following his arrest.

The statement did not mention whether any other arrests had been made.