Surat: The Cybercrime police on Thursday busted a fake call centre in Parvat Patiya whose operator- a 19-year-old Class 12 pass- is suspected to have defrauded at least 3,000 people of Rs 25 lakh by offering quick loans. Acting on a tip-off, the police raided an office in the La Citadel Complex and arrested its owner, Pravin Chauhan (19), who allegedly employed female callers to lure victims.The accused posted loan advertisements on social media and collected money as processing fees. Police estimate that at least 3,000 people were cheated over the past seven months.Police said they received a tip-off that a con call centre was operating from Epic Financial Service in the La Citadel Complex. During the raid, police found female callers contacting customers and offering quick loans from small banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).“The accused would post Meta advertisements on social media promising loans within 24 to 48 hours without income proof. Once customers filled in their details, callers would contact them and offer loans ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh. They charged Rs 799 as a general processing fee and Rs 999 for ‘express’ processing within 24 hours. Customers were then sent a QR code on WhatsApp to collect the fee,” a police officer said.According to police, after collecting the money, the callers would inform customers that their CIBIL score was poor and that the loan could not be processed. “As the amount involved was small, many victims ignored the loss. The accused earned between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 daily, amounting to around Rs 4 lakh a month,” the officer added.Investigators said Chauhan studied up to Class 12 and later began the scam with his cousin, Naman Chauhan (22), who is currently absconding. The duo also operated another firm, Chauhan Brothers Financial Service.Police seized mobile phones, a laptop, notebooks and sim cards from the office and registered a case for cheating under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.
