India, Sept. 5 -- A Malad call centre allegedly promising people "lifetime franchises" of e-commerce and e-courier companies turned out to be a bogus operation, police said. Acting on a tip-off, the Bangur Nagar police raided the premises on Wednesday, arrested 19 people, including the alleged owner, and seized computers, mobile phones and other equipment worth around Rs.15 lakh.

The call centre, allegedly operated by M-Fins Services Pvt Ltd, was located on the third floor of SEZ Plaza in Malad. Police said the accused targeted people with offers of lifetime franchises in exchange for a specified investment.

To make the offer appear genuine, the accused allegedly created the impression that agreements had been signed with reputed e-comm...