ED Arrests Prime Accused in ₹100-Crore International Call Centre Scam Targeting US Citizens
Chandra Prakash Gupta held under PMLA as probe reveals tech-support fraud, crypto laundering and assets worth over ₹100 crore
India, Dec 25 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Chandra Prakash Gupta, a key accused in a massive illegal call centre scam operating from the Delhi-NCR region and targeting United States nationals, officials said on Wednesday.
Gupta was taken into custody on December 13 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, following a detailed investigation into an organised tech-support fraud racket that impersonated reputed technology service providers. Other prime accused Arjun Gulati, Abhinav Kalra and Divyansh Goel are currently absconding.
The Special PMLA Court in Gurugram has granted ED custody of Gupta till December 24. He had been on the run since July 2024, after raids conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which later led to the issuance of a non-bailable warrant against him.
The money laundering probe was initiated based on an FIR registered by the CBI’s International Operations Division (IOD) in Delhi under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
As part of the investigation, ED carried out searches on December 19 and 20 at 10 locations across Delhi-NCR. The raids led to the seizure of jewellery worth approximately ₹1.75 crore, cash exceeding ₹10 lakh, four luxury vehicles, eight high-end watches, multiple digital devices and several incriminating documents.
Officials also recovered over 220 bottles of premium liquor — far beyond the permissible residential limit — from multiple premises. The matter has been reported to the State Excise Department, and separate FIRs have been registered.
According to investigators, the illegal call centres were being operated from Noida and Gurugram. Employees targeted US citizens through deceptive pop-up alerts designed to mimic official Microsoft security warnings. Victims were prompted to call fake helpline numbers and were convinced to install remote-access software, allowing fraudsters to gain control of their computers and extract sensitive personal and banking information.
The proceeds of crime were allegedly transferred to foreign bank accounts, converted into cryptocurrencies, and later laundered back into India through shell companies.
The ED estimates that between November 2022 and April 2024, the scam defrauded victims of nearly USD 15 million. Assets worth over ₹100 crore were allegedly acquired using the illicit proceeds.
Further investigation in the case is underway.
