Cops grill 4 pals of mastermind

A Thane police team, which is in Ahmedabad to investigate the fake call centre scam in which US nationals were extorted in the name of their tax and immigration authorities, has detained four friends of Shahagir Thakkar, one of the alleged masterminds of the scam.

Based on their information, the police conducted searches at four residential addresses of Thakkar in Ahmedabad, but drew a blank. A Thane Crime Branch police officer said, “Shaggy’s (Thakkar’s) family used change their house every 11 months, as earlier they were living on rent. But still the places where Shaggy’s family used to live afterwards are empty and locked. In those house searches the police has not got any important information documents till now. Our investigation is going on and the search will continue till we trace them.”

The police is grilling Thakkar’s four friends to trace the 24-year-old with a degree in Information Technology, who has been missing since October 5. Thakkar vanished a day after the police had cracked down on nine dubious call centres in the district.

There are pending Lookout Circulars against Thakkar and his sister, Reema, who is a case suspect, that warrant their detention at the country’s exit and egress points. Two police teams have gone to Delhi and Ahmedabad in search of Thakkar and five of his key associates. Thakkar’s parents are also not traceable in Ahmedabad where the family resided, according to the police.

The Thane police earlier revealed that Thakkar roped in several of his childhood friends who used to work with him and used to handle his call centre.