Kolkata: Kolkata Police have dismantled a sophisticated cyber-fraud racket operating under the guise of Microsoft technical support, arresting eight people accused of defrauding victims in the United States.
The illegal call centre was being run from a residential flat in the Maheshtala area of south Kolkata, officials said on Friday, following a pre-dawn raid conducted by the cyber cell. Investigators described the setup as a well-coordinated international scam network.
Scam model exposed
According to police, the accused circulated fake customer-care numbers on online platforms frequently accessed by users in the US. Victims seeking assistance were routed to operators posing as Microsoft support staff, who used persuasive tactics to gain their trust.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime & Traffic) Rupesh Kumar said callers were convinced to install remote-access applications, enabling the fraudsters to take control of their systems without authorisation.
Software such as TeamViewer, UltraViewer and AnyDesk was allegedly used to access computers, after which the accused reportedly infiltrated banking portals and siphoned funds directly from accounts.
সাতসকালে মহেশতলার গ্রিনফিল্ড সিটিতে ‘অপারেশন আমেরিকা’ : মাইক্রোসফটের ‘ছদ্মবেশী’-দের ঠাঁই এবার শ্রীঘরে
ভোর তখন সবে সকালের চৌকাঠে। ঘড়ির কাঁটা চারটে ছুঁইছুঁই। যখন শহর ঘুমিয়ে, মহেশতলার এক অভিজাত আবাসনের একটি ফ্ল্যাটে তখন চলছিল ‘অপারেশন আমেরিকা’!
কী অপারেশন? খাস কলকাতার কাছেই… pic.twitter.com/CfY1dnbiDX
— Kolkata Police (@KolkataPolice) February 7, 2026
Money trail masked
Investigators said the stolen money was moved through layered channels to evade detection. Some funds were routed through digital wallets, while others were converted into Apple gift cards — a tactic commonly used in global cyber scams to obscure transaction trails.
The gang also relied on advanced VPN services to conceal their identity and location, complicating efforts by foreign agencies to trace the activity back to India.
Raid and arrests
The operation was being run from a flat inside the Greenfield City housing complex in Maheshtala. During the raid, police seized five laptops, two Wi-Fi routers, twelve mobile phones and digital records believed to contain data on overseas victims and financial transactions.
Among those arrested is an 18-year-old suspect. The accused — Junaid Ali, Md Sakir, Md Khurshid Akhtar, Shadab Khan, Kundan Roy, Md Hussain Ahmed Khan, Zakir Khan and Sk Amirulla — hail from several Kolkata neighbourhoods including Garden Reach, Entally, Beniapukur, Tiljala, New Market and Karaya, as well as Serampore in Hooghly district.
Investigation continues
Police said forensic and financial analyses are underway to determine the scale of the operation and identify potential masterminds or accomplices. Authorities are also coordinating to trace cross-border money flows and locate victims in the United States.
