Lucknow: The recent arrest of 38-year-old Gujarat resident Niteshbhai Padmashali has helped investigators piece together the inner workings of an international cyber-fraud syndicate operating from a call centre in Lucknow’s Summit building, particularly the role of the network’s “banker” layer that bridged frightened victims and the fraudsters’ payment machinery.According to the crime branch, the operation functioned as a highly structured, multi-layered fraud network, with specialised teams handling everything from bulk messaging and victim engagement to money collection through gift cards and cryptocurrency.Police said Padmashali was part of the banker or financial-intermediation layer, a critical link between the call operators and those controlling the flow of funds.The scam began with a management or processor team sending bulk SMS alerts to potential victims in the US. The messages warned recipients about an impending debit of $200 to $500 and urged them to call a US toll-free number to stop the transaction.Calls were first received by diallers, who verified personal details and built initial trust before transferring the victims’ calls to a banker.Investigators said the banker played a key role in the deception. Victims were told that multiple bank accounts had been opened in their names using their social security numbers and that their primary accounts faced the risk of being frozen. To heighten panic, callers claimed intervention from agencies such as the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was necessary.The closer allegedly instructed victims to deposit money in the name of “account security” or a “govt treasury deposit.” Payments usually ranged between $250 and $500, depending on the victim’s perceived capacity to pay.Investigators found that closers did not independently decide payment methods. Instead, they acted on instructions from the processor team, which controlled the payment infrastructure.Padmashali was arrested from Ahmedabad based on technical and digital evidence. Two other Ahmedabad residents, Lalit Khairajani (41) and Vikram Singh Parmar (39), had earlier been arrested in the case.Padmashali revealed details of a similar UK-focused fraud model, in which callers used virtual UK numbers and softphone applications such as 3CX. Payments were allegedly collected through gift cards, with handlers deducting commissions before distributing proceeds.ADCP (crime) Kiran Yadav said efforts are underway to identify all members of the international cybercrime network and establish their specific financial, technical and managerial roles.
