Skip to main content
← back
Informative

Arrest of Mahesh Chandrashekhar Shette for Money Laundering Linked to Fake Tech-Support Call Centre.

Update / Judgement Date

30 Nov 2025

Source

WCP News Bulletin

Author

Sakshi Bhardwaj — WCP Legal Desk

Reading Time

2 min read

Financial ManagementOther Legal Matters
Arrest of Mahesh Chandrashekhar Shette for Money Laundering Linked to Fake Tech-Support Call Centre.
WCP News Bulletin
Headnote:

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Chandigarh Zonal Office, has arrested Mahesh Chandrashekhar Shette, owner of MasterCertacep Innovation (OPC) Pvt. Ltd., for offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. He is accused of running a fraudulent technical-support call centre in Panchkula and laundering proceeds generated by cheating US citizens.


Background & FIRs:
  1. ED began investigation based on three FIRs:
  2. Cyber Crime Police Station, Panchkula: FIR No. 100/2025 & 101/2025
  3. Chandimandir Police Station: FIR No. 344/2025
  4. FIRs alleged that the accused operated illegal call centres in Panchkula IT Park, impersonating representatives of American companies such as Netflix, Amazon, Spectrum, AT&T, etc.


Modus Operandi:

Using VOIP dialers and remote-access tools, the accused tricked US citizens into believing they had technical issues.

Victims were cheated of USD 100 to USD 5,000 each.

Payments were extracted through Zelle, Remitly, Bitcoin, CashApp gift cards, etc.

Fraud proceeds were routed to India through hawala channels, then deposited into the accounts of:

Mahesh Shette,

His proprietorship Mac & Case Enterprises,

His mother Shalini Shette (for layering).

Funds were later used for investments, property purchases, vehicles, and personal expenses.

Key Findings of ED

Mahesh Shette is the main accused in FIR 100/2025 and was actively running the fake call centre without any mandatory DoT licence or regulatory approvals.

Employees identified him as one of the primary operators.

Multiple layering transactions were traced through third-party entities to conceal the illicit source of money.

ED established that crores of rupees in Proceeds of Crime (POC) were generated through the illegal call centre and laundered via banking channels.


Arrest & Court Proceedings:
  1. Mahesh Shette was arrested on 29.11.2025.
  2. Produced before the Special PMLA Court, Panchkula, which remanded him to 7 days of ED custody (till 06.12.2025) for further investigation.
Status

Investigation is ongoing.