Mumbai, Apr 16 (PTI) The Opposition Congress in Maharashtra alleged the involvement of senior police officials, including IPS officer Datta Karale, in a multi-crore bogus call centre racket operating in the state, and on Thursday demanded a high-level probe into the matter.
Talking to reporters here, state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal claimed that fake call centres, similar to the infamous “Jamtara model”, were defrauding citizens globally and laundering hundreds of crores of rupees from Maharashtra.
Notably, Jamtara, a district in Jharkhand, gained notoriety as a hub of a massive and organized call centre racket that duped thousands of people across India. The racket involved tech-savvy individuals running a lucrative phishing operation by making fraudulent phone calls and deceiving people into divulging critical banking information.
Sapkal further alleged that Karale, currently serving as Deputy Inspector General (Nashik Range), along with two Superintendents of Police (SPs), had links to the racket in Maharashtra.
The Congress leader insisted such large-scale operations could not have functioned without “blessings” from senior levels of the state administration.
Karale didn’t respond to message seeking comment on the allegations against him.
Referring to FIRs registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in August and September 2025, Sapkal said raids were conducted in Nashik city and Igatpuri, a town in Nashik district, leading to the arrest of those running bogus call centres.
He questioned why the Maharashtra Police failed to detect the racket earlier.
“Why the state police failed to get any leads about these call centres? What were they doing?” the MPCC president asked, urging Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to seek details from the CBI and initiate strict action against the accused officials instead of granting them a “clean chit”.
Citing details from a report of the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), Sapkal alleged fake call centre operators paid bribes in cash, gold and cryptocurrency to government officials to ensure smooth functioning of the racket.
He demanded a comprehensive probe into an alleged nexus involving the call centre racket, dubious financial transactions and their possible links with Nashik-based self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, who has been arrested on rape and fraud charges.
Sapkal said videos recently circulated in the media show IPS officer Karale’s association with Kharat.
Karale and the two SP-level officers were earlier posted in Thane, Palghar, and Raigad districts, where such call centres were reportedly operating. Police conducted raids at the time, but allegedly released accused individuals after minimal action, the Congress leader said.
It is now being alleged that after their transfer to the Nashik range, these officers restarted operations with the same accused, he said.
According to an FIR filed on September 11, 2025, by the CBI Mumbai ACB SP Amit Wasava, one of the accused, Ganesh Kamankar, and his brother allegedly paid large bribes in cash, gold, and cryptocurrency to senior officials to keep the racket running smoothly.
He questioned why no action has been taken against these officers despite the state government being aware of the matter.
Sapkal demanded a thorough probe into the alleged links between Kharat, IPS officer Karale, and illegal money generated through the bogus call centre racket.
He questioned the source of funds involved in the Kharat case, the nexus between the ‘godman’ and call centre operations, and whether black money was being laundered through these illegal establishments.
The MPCC president called for a high-level investigation into whether such rackets were being systematically run wherever these officers were posted. PTI MR DC RSY
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