Lucknow Police Bust International Cyber Fraud, Arrest 119 Accused in Rs 250 Crore Scam Targeting US Citizens

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one of the biggest cybercrime crackdowns in recent years, the Lucknow Police has busted an alleged international cyber fraud call centre operating from the Summit Building in Vibhuti Khand and arrested 119 accused linked to a sophisticated racket that primarily targeted citizens of the United States.The operation was carried out jointly by the Cyber Crime Cell and the Cyber Police Station after nearly two weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering. According to police, the syndicate was operating like a corporate company with separate teams handling different stages of the fraud.

How Fake Call Centre Used To Operate

Police Commissioner Amrendra Kumar Sengar said the organisation had a structured setup comprising a dialer team that contacted victims, a banker team that handled payments and a closure team that completed the transactions.Commissioner Sengar further said that during the raid, police arrested 119 people, including 92 men and 27 women, and seized 103 laptops, 177 calling mobile phones, several other digital devices, important documents and electronic evidence. Officials said further arrests are likely as the investigation expands. According to investigators, the accused impersonated representatives of reputed companies and government agencies to target foreign nationals, particularly US citizens.

Victims Made To Believe Issues With Samsung, Apple Accounts

Victims were allegedly lured into believing they were facing issues with their Apple or Samsung Accounts, with their Social Security Account, unauthorised bank transactions, technical support problems, financial security risks or even pornography-related legal cases.Using fear and intimidation, they were persuaded to transfer money through gift cards, cryptocurrency and internet-based calling platforms, making the transactions difficult to trace. Preliminary investigation suggests the network may have cheated victims of more than Rs 250 crore.Police also believe the company operating the call centre has a net worth exceeding Rs 500 crore and that its operations extended beyond Lucknow into at least five other states. Investigators have further alleged that the proceeds of crime were routed through three countries before being brought into India via hawala channels.The alleged owner of the operation, Vineet Sharma, is accused of facilitating the movement of funds through this international network. Among those arrested are alleged operations managers Lalit Khairajani and Vikram Singh Parmar. Their questioning has provided investigators with leads on other operators, financial beneficiaries and overseas connections.

Hunt For Business Partners

Police are now working to identify the company's remaining partners, directors and the wider international cyber fraud network. The call centre, which was allegedly operating under the name Solaris Solution, had been functioning from the 11th floor of Summit Building since January 2025 without any name board.Most employees were reportedly recruited from northeastern states and underwent around two-and-a-half months of specialised training to communicate with American citizens. Investigators said employees received monthly salaries ranging from Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000, along with commissions of up to 10 per cent of the fraud amount, enabling some to earn between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh every month.Police said the investigation is continuing and more arrests are expected as digital evidence, financial records and electronic devices seized during the operation are analysed to uncover the full extent of the international cyber fraud network.