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Hyderabad: The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has busted a cybercrime network operating through fraudulent call centres in New Delhi and apprehended 21 Telugu-speaking women telecallers and a male bank account holder, a senior official said on Monday, August 10.
As part of the operation, TGCSB officials conducted coordinated raids at three cybercrime call centres.
The investigation led to the identification of three key organisers who owned and operated the centres and are currently absconding, Telangana Cyber Security Bureau Director Shikha Goel said in a release.
The three call centres were operating from Shiva Market in Delhi under separate teams headed by Lalith Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Anil, all of whom are currently absconding, she said.
The arrested accused included 21 telecallers and a bank account holder.
The call centre network had been operational for approximately one-and-a-half years, Goel said.
“The fraudsters used women aged 25 to 40, who are fluent in Telugu, to gain the confidence of victims, target unsuspecting people across Telangana, impersonate representatives of an NBFC and offer attractive loan approvals to carry out the fraud,” the official said.
During the operation, TGCSB seized 23 mobile phones and two bank passbooks.
Links to 22 cybercrime cases across Telangana have so far been established, while further investigation is underway, she said.
On the modus operandi, Goel said the investigation revealed that the three organisers had established a well-structured cyber fraud network by recruiting Telugu-speaking women as telecallers in Delhi.
Many of the recruited telecallers were from Korutla in Jagtial district, Saidabad and Borabanda in Hyderabad, and Mahabubnagar district.
The fraudsters followed a scripted process to induce victims to make payments on various false pretexts such as loan processing, verification, documentation and insurance charges.
After receiving the money, the accused either stopped communicating with the victims or continued demanding additional payments by falsely assuring them of loan approval, she said.
The investigation revealed that when victims questioned the transactions or sought refunds, the accused resorted to intimidation and blackmail.
They threatened victims with legal action, reputational damage and misuse of their personal information and identity documents, intending to discourage them from approaching the police or reporting the fraud, Goel added.
The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau urged citizens to exercise caution when receiving phone calls offering loans. Before paying any processing fee, verification charge or other amount, citizens should independently verify the authenticity of the caller and the lending company.
This post was last modified on August 10, 2026 9:05 pm