Panaji: Three months after the Goa police crackdown on fake call centres, such operations are resurfacing in the state. Director general of police (DGP) Alok Kumar said on Thursday that he has instructed the police to act immediately whenever information about fake call centres is received.“Goa police have zero tolerance towards fake call centres and we will act against such activities as soon as it comes to light,” Kumar said.On Tuesday, Goa police busted an alleged fake call centre operating from a villa at Aldeia de Goa in Bambolim and arrested 10 people.Last year, Goa police busted more than 25 fake call centres and arrested around 100 youths from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana, Nagaland and Manipur. Most were between 25 and 30 years old. Police said many of those running these call centres are from Gujarat.A senior officer said that although fake call centres operate across the country, many youths prefer working in Goa due to its nightlife and lifestyle. After recruitment, they are trained before being allowed to interact with customers.“There is a standard script provided during training, along with all the necessary information required to handle customer queries,” the officer said.Police said the owners have tie-ups with agencies abroad that divert calls to Goa. “The local operators pay more than Rs 4,000 to the person who diverts each call,” an officer said.“All day, the youths roam around and enjoy themselves, and in the evenings they work at the fake call centres. The salary ranges from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 a month, but they also receive incentives based on the number of victims who transfer money to the handlers,” the officer said.He added that if someone succeeds in carrying out a major fraud—such as cheating a victim of Rs 1 crore—the incentive can be up to Rs 1 lakh.Investigators also found that some accused tried to justify their actions by claiming they were targeting foreigners rather than Indians. “The accused defended the crime by saying they were not looting Indians but were instead looting people who had looted India over a period of time,” the officer said.
