Delhi Police announced 11 arrests following a September 21 raid on a rented Pitampura call centre allegedly targeting people in the United States through technical-support and bank impersonation. Its September 24, 2026 release records a case registered on September 22 and an investigation still underway at publication. [1]
The seizure documents an operation, not its gift-card losses
Police reported recovering 29 laptops, 25 phones and eight routers from the premises. The inventory provides a concrete account of the equipment investigators took into custody; it does not show how many people were contacted or how much value passed through gift cards. [1]
Equipment seized in the Pitampura investigation
Physical device counts reported by Delhi Police after the September 21, 2026 raid.
devices
Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table.
Source
Police inventory, not independently counted by this publication. Device counts do not establish victim numbers, call capacity, transactions, gift-card proceeds or convictions. Cash and the seized vehicle are separate.
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| Category | Devices reported seized |
|---|---|
| Laptops | 29 devices |
| Phones | 25 devices |
| Routers | 8 devices |
The same release lists INR 4.1 million in cash and one Kia vehicle. Its headline also alleges approximately INR 1 billion in victim losses, but provides no calculation, time period or transaction-level reconciliation. That allegation cannot be presented as a verified gift-card market statistic or equated with the much smaller cash seizure. [1]
Investigators describe a sequence beginning with computer warnings that sent victims to a purported support telephone number. Call takers allegedly used scripts to claim that a computer was compromised, obtained remote access through UltraViewer and transferred the victim to someone pretending to be a bank official. [1]
That person allegedly demanded iTunes, Sephora or Target gift cards, and in some cases cryptocurrency, as the supposed solution. Police say redemption information was passed through WhatsApp groups to other members of the operation and converted elsewhere. The release also describes forged communications purporting to come from the FBI and other US agencies. [1]
Apple’s published guidance explains why a code can matter more than possession of the plastic: someone who receives a redemption code may spend the balance before the buyer reaches support. Apple cards are for Apple products and services, rather than unrelated bills or government fees. This describes the product risk; it does not independently establish the conduct of any suspect in Delhi. [2]
Microsoft likewise says its error messages do not contain support telephone numbers and it does not request gift cards or cryptocurrency for support. That policy helps distinguish the alleged impersonation from a legitimate support transaction. It does not make the software and communication providers named in the police account participants in the alleged fraud. [3]
The release supplies neither a verified gift-card-only loss nor a victim count, redemption breakdown or recovery total. The arrests are investigative actions, not findings of guilt. This Pitampura event remains separate from the September 18 report about three West Delhi centres and the September 30 Naraina announcement. [1]
In this article
Emma Carter
Emma Carter covers retail, e-commerce and the gift card shopping experience for Gift Card News.