Police shut down an illegal call centre in an upmarket suburb in Umhlanga on Tuesday.

• A police operation shut down an alleged illegal call centre in Umhlanga, Durban, on Tuesday.
• It is alleged that the suspects were running a fraudulent telephonic scam from the premises of an upmarket property.
• The property owner was shocked when she arrived to find the police, insisting she had rented out the property as a holiday rental.

An alleged illegal call centre operating from an upmarket property in Umhlanga, Durban, has been shut down following a police raid linked to a multimillion-rand banking scam.

The operation, stemming from a months-long intelligence-driven investigation, saw a large contingent of law enforcement officers descend on the property on Tuesday.

Police officers from the eThekwini District, the Umlazi Tactical Response Team, and private security members were at the site inspecting the property and the suspects’ vehicles.

It is alleged that the suspects were running a fraudulent telephonic scam from the premises.

According to information from police sources, victims were contacted and told there was an issue with their bank accounts.

They were then allegedly instructed to urgently transfer their money into what was described as a “safer account” to prevent losses.

However, that account belonged to the syndicate, and once the funds were moved, the money would vanish.

Representatives from the banking sector were also present during the raid.

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The property owner, who arrived at the scene to find the street filled with police vehicles, said she was shocked to discover what was allegedly happening inside her home.

“I had no idea what was going on. I rented the house out as a holiday rental.”

As soon as the woman stepped out of her car and saw police officers inside her property, she screamed and asked: “What the hell is going on in my house?”

She insisted she was not involved in any criminal activity and said she would never have allowed such operations had she known.

She stated:

The police found a high-end BMW M8 valued at approximately R3.5 million and an Audi on the premises.

Outside the house, three more vehicles were found. The police also searched them.

The property owner claimed that the police operation had caused significant damage to the property, including the knocking down of doors and other structural damage.

“There is a lot of damage inside. I am going to have to spend a lot of money to restore the house to what it was,” she said, adding that she was overwhelmed and concerned about the reputational impact within her community.

She declined to comment further, saying she would speak in detail only once the investigations had concluded.

At least 21 people found inside the property were taken in for questioning.