New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS): Delhi Police have busted a fake call-centre that was involved in defrauding people under the pretext of providing them personal loans under the 'Pradhan Mantri Loan Yojana' and arrested 12 people.

The group was running the fake call-centre from Rohini in north Delhi to cheat people, offering them loans at a low interest rate under the name of the Centre's scheme, police said.

"They would make phone calls to people and offer them loans on exceptionally cheap rates. Once the victim was trapped by the lucrative offer, they would ask the targeted person to pay some money as processing fee," said Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rohini, Pranav Tayal.

Once the processing fee is paid, they would keep asking them for money on one pretext or the other, such as consultancy charges etc. To show the customers that it is an authentic deal, they used to collect their documents and IDs to gain faith.

Using this modus operandi, they duped people in different states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, the police said.

Eleven women and the key accused, Deepak Saini, who was the manager of the fake call-centre, have been arrested.

A case has been registered at the Rohini police station under Sections 419, 420, 120-B, 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The development has come a week after three members of a gang involving a fake call-centre were arrested for allegedly cheating internet users by sending bogus pop-up notices.