Lucknow: Lucknow Police Crime Branch arrested another accused from Ahmedabad in connection with the fake international call centre that was found operating from the city’s Summit building, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 123 and strengthening the emerging Gujarat link in the investigation.The latest accused, Niteshbhai Padmashali, 38, Gujarat’s Anand district, was arrested from Ahmedabad on the basis of technical and digital evidence gathered during the ongoing investigation.The accused already arrested in the case include Lalit Khairajani, 41 and Vikram Singh Parmar, 39, both from Ahmedabad. Police said the two were living in separate apartments in Gomti Nagar Extension when they were arrested along with 117 others during the initial crackdown.According to Lucknow Police Commissionerate, 119 accused were arrested from the Summit building, three from Kolkata and one from Gujarat, on Jul 1.Additional DCP (crime) Kiran Yadav said electronic devices and other important material were recovered from Padmashali.Police are attempting to establish whether other individuals based in Gujarat played a role in coordinating the operation in Lucknow or provided financial, technical or logistical support to the gang in Lucknow.“The investigation is also examining possible hierarchy of the network, including who arranged the premises and equipment, recruited and supervised employees, managed communications and handled the money generated through the alleged fraudulent activities,” said ADCP Yadav.Police said Padmashali had previously been chargesheeted in an Information Technology Act case in 2019 at Kotwali Anand in Gujarat and is currently out on bail in that case and police are examining whether that case has any connection with the Summit building case.Padmashali will be brought to Lucknow for detailed interrogationabout his role in the call centre, his associates and his links with other members of the network.
