Call centre scam: Lookout notice against two key accused

The Thane police on Thursday a lookout notice against two key absconding accused in the US call centre scam — Shahagir Thakkar (24) and his sister Reema Thakkar. Reema used to handle Shahagir’s accounting-related work and they were both based in Ahmedabad, sources said.

A lookout notice will ensure the accused’s detention at the country’s entry and ingress points.

The police has so far arrested 72 of the call centres’ employees and are searching for five more accused, who are believed to be the brains behind the scam.

The scam involves the running of eight call centres in Thane district, in which the call centre employees allegedly extorted US citizens in the name of their tax and immigration authorities.

A police officer said, “After we detained four people who were involved in transferring money through hawala transactions, they revealed the name of Reema, who used to handle the money matters of (Thakkar’s) company.”

An investigation officer said, “Shahagir Thakkar, who left Mumbai after he was bankrupt a few years ago, shifted to his sister’s house at Ahmedabad. His sister had married a Gujarat-based businessman and was living there for the past 15 years. She helped her brother to start a new venture, i.e., fraud call centres. She has been handling the accounting-related works of the company for the past one year after her husband faced losses in his business.”

A senior officer from Thane police confirmed they have sent now a lookout notice for Reema and her brother.

A police team had earlier gone to Gujarat in search of Shahagir, who is suspected to have funded the fraud call centres and is believed to have fled to Dubai after the authorities began their crackdown a week ago. Nabbing Thakkar could be the key to reaching the other key accused, the police said.