A Thane police crime branch team will soon be sent to Karnataka to track down five accused wanted in the conspiracy related to the running of eight call-centres in the district, whose employees allege
A Thane police crime branch team will soon be sent to Karnataka to track down five accused wanted in the conspiracy related to the running of eight call-centres in the district, whose employees allegedly extorted US citizens in the name of their tax and immigration authorities.
The police has so far arrested 72 of the call centres' employees while they are searching for five more accused who are seen as brains behind the scam. -"The interrogation of the arrested employees yielded details on five more key accused who are currently in hiding and on the move. They could be in Karnataka, and that is why a team will track them down there,-" said a police investigator.
A police team had earlier gone to Gujarat in search of a sixth accused, Shahagir Thakkar (23), who is suspected to have funded the call centres and is believed to have fled to Dubai, UAE after the police crackdown began a week ago. The team had returned empty-handed.
While Thakkar was not there, a call centre being operated there was found shut and with its paraphernalia having been emptied out to evade detection.
Nabbing Thakkar could be key to reaching the other key accused, the police said. -"It is not yet clear whether certain accused who are believed to be staying in the US are Indians or Americans. Since they also reported to Thakkar, tracing him is crucial,-" said an officer. Joint CP Ashutosh Dumbre of Thane said, -"Our teams are working on the case tirelessly. They have got some information and they will soon the take necessary action.-"
The Thane police last Wednesday raided three call centres in Mira Road as part of its scam probe. The police has, till date, recorded the statements of more than 600 call centre employees.
