7 held for running call centres that duped US customers

Seven top officials and employees of two companies were arrested here for allegedly running illegal call centres that cheated US-based customers by using the name of Microsoft Corporation, a police officer said on Friday.

Following complaints from the attorneys of Microsoft Corporation India that common people were being defrauded in the name of providing technical support on behalf of the company, the police conducted two separate raids in eastern and central part of the metropolis and picked up the accused, Kolkata police joint commissioner (crime) Murlidhar Sharma said.

In the first raid, three persons including the director/owner, Information Technology Head and another employee of Wizard E Marketing Private Limited located on Topsia Road South were taken into custody.

Six hard disks, pen drive and a number of incriminating documents were seized from the possession of the accused persons from the office.

In another simultaneous raid, two directors, a team leader and system administrator of Vision Call Services Private Limited situated on Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road were rounded up. The two directors were brothers.

One Macbook, one laptop, four hard disks, two mobile phone, ATM cum debit card and a number of incriminating documents were seized from the possession of the accused persons at the office.

At both the premises, the police personnel allegedly found illegal call centres were being run, with the callers "introducing themselves as the officials of Microsoft and cheating the US-based customers, said Sharma.

Two separate cases have been lodged against the accused at the Cyber Police Station, Kolkata, for criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery under the Indian Penal Code and under various sections of the Information Technology Act.IANS