Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Dec 5: In a major crackdown, the Mumbai Crime Branch has unearthed a fake international call centre allegedly involved in selling counterfeit Viagra and other restricted medicines to unsuspecting US nationals. Eight persons were arrested in the operation, while the key mastermind and his associates are currently on the run.
According to officials of Crime Branch Unit 9, the illegal call centre was operating from a commercial premises in Kevnipada, S.V. Road, Amboli in Jogeshwari (West), and had reportedly been active for the past six to seven months. The accused allegedly impersonated representatives of reputed pharmaceutical companies in the United States and lured American citizens into purchasing fake medicines, using illegally obtained personal data of foreign nationals.
Those arrested have been identified as Mohammad Aamir Iqbal Shaikh (40), Mahir Iqbal Patel (26), Mohammad Shabib Mohammad Khalil Shaikh (26), Mohammad Ayaz Parvez Shaikh (26), Adam Ehsanullah Shaikh (32), Aryan Mushaffir Qureshi (19), Amaan Aziz Ahmed Shaikh (19), and Hashmat Jamil Jariwala (29).
Police said the main accused Muzaffar Shaikh (43) along with his aide Aamir Maniyar and others are absconding and a manhunt is underway to trace them.
All the arrested accused were produced before the Esplanade Court on Thursday, which remanded them to police custody till December 10 for detailed investigation. The police are probing the extent of the alleged fraud, the procurement of international data, and the possibility of illegal foreign financial transactions routed through underground networks.
During the raid, officers seized several laptops, headsets, pen drives, hard drives and other electronic equipment believed to have been used for the fraudulent telemarketing operations. These devices have been sent for forensic evaluation to identify the extent of the scam and the number of people affected abroad.
A senior Crime Branch officer confirmed that the bust was made possible following credible intelligence inputs. “The accused were operating a fake call centre and misleading foreign nationals by posing as executives of pharmaceutical firms. We have recovered substantial evidence and efforts are ongoing to nab the absconding accused,” the officer added.
Police said that more arrests are expected as the probe widens, especially after forensic experts analyse the seized digital data and financial trails linked to the racket.