LUCKNOW, July 7 -- The alleged mastermind behind the fake international call centre busted in the state capital last week allegedly channelled proceeds of the cyber fraud into real estate ventures in Ahmedabad and his girlfriend's nightclub and salon in Kolkata through hawala channels before fleeing nearly 1,500 km to evade arrest, police said on Tuesday.

A day after the trio was brought to Lucknow on transit remand from Kolkata, the crime branch said the alleged mastermind, Vineet Vashishth, 38, a resident of Ahmedabad who carried a Rs.25,000 reward, had invested the fraud proceeds in three real estate firms. Police alleged that his girlfriend, Rinki Dasgupta, 43, owns a nightclub and a salon in Kolkata and helped route money generated ...