Call centre scam

Indian extradited to US from Singapore

Ag AFP

NEW YORK: An Indian has been extradited to the US from Singapore to face charges of his involvement in a multi-million dollar India-based call centre scam that targeted Americans. Hitesh Madhubhai Patel, 42, of Ahmedabad is scheduled to be arraigned Friday before a US magistrate judge in federal court in Houston.

The indictment, which was unsealed in October 2016, charged Patel and 60 other individuals and entities with general conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.

The US Justice Department said that the massive India-based telephone impersonation fraud and money laundering conspiracy defrauded thousands of US residents out of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said Patel operated a call centre that allegedly preyed upon vulnerable US citizens as part of a massive fraud scheme.

“This extradition once again demonstrates the Department’s unwavering commitment to disrupt and dismantle the India-based call centre scam industry and to work with our foreign partners to hold accountable those who perpetrate schemes that defraud our citizens,” he said.

US Attorney Ryan Patrick of the Southern District of Texas said large complex international cases like these often take years to bring in foreign-based defendants, applauding America’s global partners in helping bring this case closer to a conclusion”.

The Justice Department said that Singapore authorities apprehended Patel at the request of the US following a provisional arrest warrant in September last year, after he flew from India to Singapore.

The Singaporean Minister for Law issued a warrant on March 25, 2019 for Patel to be delivered into custody of the United States.