Four individuals have been apprehended in Ahmedabad for operating an illicit call center that preyed on Canadian citizens by posing as tax officials and extorting money through deceitful tactics. The Cyber Crime Branch conducted a raid on March 14 in the Chandkheda area based on specific intelligence received. The accused were using a flat owned by the family of Ashu Patel to carry out their operations, with the family residing on the ground floor while the call center was run on the first floor under the guise of playing video games.
The call center had been active at this location since February this year, having previously operated from the Naranpura area. The arrested individuals, identified as Kush Patel (29), Harsh Patel (28), Ashu Patel (29), and Sunil Rawat (28), were taken into custody. Two other suspects, Shivang Dashmana and Falgun Patel, are currently evading authorities. Falgun Patel, described as the main culprit, had allegedly run similar call centers in Chandigarh and Udaipur in 2025, targeting citizens of the United States and Canada.
According to Cyber Cell ACP Hardik Makadia, the arrested individuals were found in possession of six laptops and five mobile phones, with the main accused, Falgun Patel, still at large. The call center, which impersonated officials from the Canada Revenue Agency, operated from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. using VOIP software called “Eye-Beam” to make calls to Canadian citizens. The victims were coerced into providing personal information under the guise of resolving fictitious financial issues, ultimately leading to monetary transfers through gift cards.
