Mumbai Fake Franchise Scam: 19 Booked After 22 People Allegedly Lose ₹14.83 Lakh to Bogus Call Centre

Mumbai: A seemingly professional call centre in Mumbai’s Malad West has come under police scrutiny after investigators allegedly uncovered a fake franchise operation that promised people lucrative business opportunities linked to well-known courier, e-commerce and delivery companies.

The Bangur Nagar police have booked 19 people in connection with the alleged fraud after receiving information about the operation. So far, police have identified 22 people who allegedly lost a combined ₹14.83 lakh after being persuaded to invest money for what they were told would be lifetime franchise opportunities.

The police raid took place on September 2 at the office of M Fins Services Private Limited, located on Marve Road near Nutan School in Malad West.

According to investigators, the people working from the premises allegedly contacted potential customers through mobile phones and WhatsApp and presented the company as an authorised business offering franchise opportunities with several major brands.

Promises of lifetime franchises allegedly used to win trust

Police said the alleged operators told prospective investors that the company had contracts or business arrangements with names such as Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Blue Dart, DTDC and BigBasket.

The callers allegedly offered customers the opportunity to invest money in these businesses and promised attractive returns along with what was described as a lifetime franchise.

Such promises reportedly convinced several people to transfer money to the operators.

However, according to the police investigation, the promised franchises were never delivered to the customers who had made payments. Some alleged victims also told investigators that communication from the company stopped after the money had been transferred.

The customers reportedly struggled to obtain either the promised franchise rights or refunds of the amounts they had paid.

Police raid reveals organised call centre setup

The operation came to light after police received information about the alleged activities taking place at the Malad West office.

Acting on the tip-off, Bangur Nagar police conducted a raid at the premises on September 2.

When officers arrived, several men and women were allegedly found making calls to members of the public.

Police seized 17 mobile phones used by telecallers and eight laptops during the operation. Investigators also recovered Excel sheets and documents containing information related to the alleged franchise agreements.

The material seized from the office is expected to help investigators determine how the alleged operation was organised and identify additional people who may have been contacted or defrauded.

List of alleged victims found at office

One of the significant pieces of evidence recovered during the raid was reportedly a list containing details of people who had already paid money for the alleged franchises.

The list included names, mobile phone numbers, email addresses and the amounts paid by different customers.

Police subsequently contacted some of the individuals whose details appeared in the records.

According to the investigation, some of these people said they had paid money believing they would receive franchise opportunities but were left without the promised services.

They allegedly received no meaningful response when they attempted to contact the company after making payments.

Police also seized goods valued at around ₹2.30 lakh during the raid.

Owner allegedly had contract with only one company

The investigation has also raised questions about the claims allegedly made to prospective customers regarding the number of companies associated with the business.

Police identified Sohanlal Gupta as the owner of the company.

Investigators reportedly found that the company had a contract with only one company, despite the alleged claims made to potential customers about connections with multiple well-known brands.

This discrepancy has become an important part of the police investigation as authorities try to establish whether the alleged franchise promises were deliberately used to persuade people to make payments.

22 people allegedly cheated so far

According to the police, the investigation has so far identified 22 victims, with the total alleged loss estimated at ₹14.83 lakh.

However, investigators are not ruling out the possibility that the number of victims could increase.

Police are examining the records recovered from the office and checking financial transactions linked to the accused to determine whether more people may have been targeted through the same method.

The investigators are also looking into how the accused allegedly approached prospective customers and how payments were collected.

19 people booked in the case

Police have booked 19 individuals in connection with the alleged operation.

Those named in the case are Santosh Gupta, Chirag Shah, Aishwarya Yeshu, Fatima Sayyaid, Kasim Ansari, Kaif Kazi, Rakesh Gupta, Arthi Nadar, Aryan Ansari, Rohit Kirekar, Sheetal Sharma, Priyanka Kushwah, Afrin Shaikh, Manikumar Gandan, Sundaram Jha, Mehak Khan, Aniket Pawar, Vandesh Gawade and Parth Rajput.

A case has been registered under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property, along with other relevant provisions of the BNS and the Information Technology Act.

Investigation now focused on finding more victims

With the alleged call centre records now in police custody, investigators are working to establish the full extent of the operation.

The seized mobile phones, laptops, spreadsheets and franchise-related documents could provide important clues about the number of people contacted and the financial transactions carried out through the alleged scheme.

Police are also examining the bank and financial records associated with the accused to trace the movement of money.

Investigators are trying to determine whether the 22 identified victims represent the complete list of people who were allegedly cheated or whether more individuals may have fallen for similar franchise offers.

A warning for people considering online franchise offers

The case also highlights the risks faced by people looking for business opportunities through phone calls and online messaging platforms.

Franchise offers promising unusually high returns, guaranteed income or lifetime business rights can appear attractive, particularly when callers claim to represent well-known companies.

However, police investigations such as this one underline the importance of independently verifying such claims before transferring money or signing agreements.

In the Malad West case, police allege that customers were persuaded to pay money based on franchise promises that were not fulfilled.

The investigation is continuing, and authorities are now trying to establish the complete network behind the alleged operation and identify anyone else who may have been involved.

The allegations against the accused are subject to investigation, and they will be presumed innocent unless proven guilty in accordance with law.

News source: Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.