Gwalior Police Expose International Loan Scam, Seize Laptops and Victim Data

In a major breakthrough against cyber-enabled financial fraud, Madhya Pradesh Police have dismantled a fake call centre allegedly targeting American citizens with fraudulent loan offers, arresting four suspects during a raid in Gwalior district. Authorities said the operation had been functioning for nearly five months from a hotel located along the Agra-Mumbai National Highway.

According to police, the accused posed as representatives of the US-based lending platform Lending Club, contacting unsuspecting victims with promises of quick loan approvals. After earning their trust, they allegedly obtained Social Security numbers, banking information and processing charges, often demanding payments through gift vouchers, a method commonly used in international cyber frauds.

The raid was carried out at Hotel Jainpath following a tip-off received by investigators. During questioning, the accused claimed they were working under the directions of Praval Pratap Singh Parihar, the alleged mastermind who remains absconding. Police said personal details of American citizens were supplied to the group through WhatsApp and email, enabling them to identify and contact potential victims.

The arrested accused have been identified as Abhishek Rajput (26) and Shivendra Singh Parihar (31) from Ahmedabad, Aryan Rajput (20) from Jhansi, and Shubhom Ghosh (23) from Dimapur. Investigators said the group earned monthly salaries of Rs 15,000-20,000, along with a five per cent commission on the money allegedly extracted from victims.

Police recovered four laptops, seven mobile phones, headsets, fraud scripts, customer databases and other incriminating material during the raid. A case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.

Officials said efforts are underway to trace the absconding kingpin while investigators examine the seized digital evidence to determine the full scale of the international cyber fraud network and identify additional accomplices.