CBI busts cybercrime gang operating from Pune apartments; three arrested

In a significant crackdown on cybercrime, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has dismantled a sophisticated international syndicate operating from several residential apartments in Pune, top to the arrest of three key individuals. The gang is believed to have defrauded foreign nationals, primarily US citizens, of an estimated ₹3-4 crore monthly through elaborate phishing calls and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) spoofing.

The arrests followed a series of coordinated raids conducted by CBI teams across seven locations in Pune and Mumbai on Thursday and Friday. The arrested individuals, identified as Amit Dube, Tarun Shenai, and Gonslaves Savio, were produced before a special court for CBI cases in Mumbai and have been remanded to police custody until July 30.

According to a CBI press release, the fraudsters impersonated officials from various prominent agencies, including the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and even the Indian High Commission. They would then coerce unsuspecting victims into paying sums ranging from $500 to $3,000 under the threat of legal action, typically through gift cards or Bitcoin transfers.

The illegal operation, which had been running from a covert call center in Pune since January 2025, relied on illegally acquired contact leads through vendors on messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Signal. These vendors also generated and disseminated toll-free numbers that connected victims directly to the fraudulent call center.

CBI investigations have revealed a complex money laundering network. The illicit proceeds, estimated to be a staggering ₹3-4 crore per month, were funneled through mule accounts, cryptocurrency, and hawala channels. Disturbingly, preliminary findings also suggest the complicity of certain unknown public and private sector bank officials who allegedly facilitated the opening and operation of fake accounts using forged Know Your Customer (KYC) documents, in blatant violation of RBI guidelines.

During the raids, CBI officials seized a substantial amount of digital evidence, including 27 mobile phones, 17 laptops, and other incriminating material. Unexplained cash totaling approximately ₹1.6 lakhs and around 150 grams of suspected narcotic substances were also recovered from the residences of some accused. The scrutiny of one accused’s mobile phone further revealed cryptocurrency holdings worth ₹6.94 lakhs.

The CBI stated that the call center workers were paid in cash, routed through hawala networks from both the US and domestic locations, and were housed in multiple residential flats across Pune to maintain the clandestine nature of their operations. A thorough investigation into the full extent of this cross-border cybercrime syndicate is ongoing.