Daijiworld Media Network - Nashik
Nashik, Sep 14: In a significant development, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two individuals in Nashik for allegedly running an elaborate cyber fraud operation targeting British nationals. The accused, Ganesh and Shyam Kamankar, were operating illegal call centres under the name Swagan Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Employing around 60 people, these centres used spoofed phone numbers, forged documents, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems to pose as insurance agents and government officials. Their goal: trick unsuspecting victims into sharing sensitive credit and debit card details and making payments for fictitious insurance policies.
The CBI registered the case on September 11, naming four individuals and several unknown public officials as part of the investigation. Following this, raids were carried out across locations in Nashik and Kalyan (Thane), leading to the seizure of critical digital evidence, including victim databases, fake insurance policy documents, computer systems, mobile phones, and Rs 5 lakh in unaccounted cash. According to the agency, the fraudulent earnings were funneled through PayPal and traditional banking channels managed by the accused.
In a separate operation, the CBI also arrested three officials of the Military Engineer Services (MES) in Madhya Pradesh along with a middleman for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 80,000 from a contractor. The arrested personnel include Nitesh Kumar Singh, Garrison Engineer of MES in Sagar; Rakesh Sahu, Assistant Garrison Engineer; Deepak, Junior Engineer; and Rajesh Mishra, a middleman. The arrests followed a complaint from Ajay Kumar, an employee of Shree Balaji Associates, who reported that the officials demanded Rs 1 lakh in bribes to facilitate the execution of a Rs 26.58 lakh contract for repair and maintenance work.
The CBI has booked the accused under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for criminal conspiracy and attempts to accept illegal gratification.