In a major crackdown, Delhi police has arrested 24 persons as it busted 10 fake call centres following a complaint that a few peole were duping Microsoft’s customers by posing as employees of the US-based technology giant. The complaint was lodged by the authorised representative of Microsoft Corporation in India, Nripendra Kashyap. After the FIR was registered, police started a probe into the matter.
During the probe, a strong contingent of 70 policemen of Special Cell were deployed to nab the perpetrators. The officials conducted several raids in Janakpuri, Rohini, Pitampura, Shahdara, Sarita Vihar and other areas till Thursday morning. A police official said Police have arrested 24 persons and also issued notices to several persons, asking them to join the probe.
“Officials from Microsoft were also present with policemen during the raids, and police have recovered computers and other devices,” an official was quoted as saying by IE.
Kashyap alleged that Microsoft received nearly three lakh complaints from customers since 2015. All the complainants alleged that technical staff have been duping them on the pretext of providing technical support. Kashyap’s formal complaint reads that some unknown persons were duping their customers after posing as the company’s technical support team, business partners or being “Microsoft Certified Technicians”. He alleged that the accused were providing services after making calls from their call centres, wherein after calling their targets, they make them believe that their personal computers or devices have been affected with a virus.
Subsequently, after gaining access to computers of the customers, they used to load malware or viruses into those devices and steal personal information and files of the victims. “They are not only causing severe losses to the company…, but are also tarnishing its reputation,” he claimed. Kashyap, with the help of technical surveillance, has managed to detect certain companies and also provided contact details to the investigators, police said.
The accused were produced before a duty magistrate last evening who remanded them to police custody.