Valsad: A major bogus call center operating out of Hotel Crystal Inn in Bhilad, Umargam taluka, was busted on Tuesday following a raid by the Surat Cyber Crime team.

Acting on a tip-off, the cyber crime officials carried out the operation in coordination with Bhilad police. During the raid on the fourth floor of Hotel Crystal Inn, located along National Highway-48, the police uncovered a large-scale racket. Fourteen people, including two women, were arrested. Preliminary investigations revealed that all the accused hail from Maharashtra. Two key suspects, including the mastermind of the racket, have been declared wanted.

According to police, the bogus call center targeted foreign nationals, luring them with lucrative offers and defrauding them of large sums of money. The team seized computers, mobile phones, and important documents from the site. Following the raid, the fourth floor of the hotel was sealed.

The arrested accused have been identified as Zarar alias Misam Alamdaar Haider, Daljeetsingh Jagdish Saloja, Soyeb Iqbal Sheikh, Arfad Sarfaraz Siddiqui, Tanvir Rafiq Khan, Faheem Abdul Gaffar Sheikh, Subodh Prakashbhai Bhalekar, Rahul Kishan Sarsar, Ignatious Jeffery Mesfrenesh, Harshada Vijay Utekar, and Madhuri alias Nikki Sudhir Paikar — all currently staying at Hotel Crystal Inn but originally from Mumbai — along with Azrul Islam Amanat Malek, Sanket Narendrabhai Makwana, and Sameem Shaheer Khan, who are residents of Bhilad.

The wanted accused are Sunny Pandey and Abhishek Dubey. Police have launched a search for the mastermind and other associates involved in the racket. Seized electronic devices have been sent to a forensic lab for detailed analysis. DeshGujarat