Kolkata: Bidhannagar Cyber Crime Police in West Bengal have arrested 24 people on charges of defrauding US citizens of crores of rupees by posing as technical support from companies such as Amazon and Apple, police said on Thursday.

Acting on the allegations, officers of the Bidhannagar Cyber Crime Police Station raided Eco Space in Kolkata's New Town area on Wednesday night.

Police arrested 24 people during the operation.

According to the police, American citizens were allegedly defrauded of around Rs 30 crore through a fake call centre.

Police have launched an investigation to identify the mastermind behind the operation.

It is learned that the fake call centre operated from a space of around 2,000 square feet at Eco Space in New Town.

“About 24 people were arrested in a raid there on Wednesday night. Among those arrested, 13 were women, and 11 were men,” said a senior officer of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate.

Most of the arrested persons are residents of other states.

Police recovered 53 desktop computers, four laptops and 24 mobile phones from the call centre during the raid.

Police also recovered fraud scripts from the accused. They allegedly used those scripts to defraud American citizens.

Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Rathod Amitkumar Bharat said at a press conference that the accused allegedly defrauded US citizens by posing as technical support staff.

The operation involved multiple tiers, with one group communicating with the American citizens while another handled the financial transactions.

Police raided the location from which these activities were allegedly being orchestrated.

Amitkumar said police would identify and apprehend those involved at all levels after interrogating the arrested people.

It may be recalled that on September 2, Kolkata Police busted two fake call centre rings and arrested 67 people in connection with the racket.

Police made the arrests during two separate raids on Rajdanga Main Road in the Kasba area of south Kolkata, under the jurisdiction of Kasba Police Station.

Among those arrested, 41 were women, and 26 were men.