International call centre scam mastermind deported from Dubai

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, April 8

Sagar Thakkar, alias ‘Shaggy’, who allegedly ran an international call centre from Mumbai from where thousands of Americans were defrauded of millions of dollars by agents posing as Internal Revenue Service agents, was deported to Mumbai from Dubai on Friday night, police said on Saturday.

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Thane Police looking for Shaggy for the past several months and had traced him to the UAE, where he has been hiding since the racket was busted. Officers from the Thane police took custody of Shaggy as soon he landed in Mumbai.

According to information available from the US government, call centres set up by Thakkar and his associates may have swindled as much as US $ 300 million from American nationals.

Thakkar and his associates had set up several call centres in 2013 in Thane and Gujarat that recruited tele-callers who were trained to impersonate IRS, immigration and other government officials in order to swindle unsuspecting Americans.

So far at least 70 persons employed as managers by the call centres have been arrested while more than 700 'agents' were detained by police.

After the scam came to light in October last year, police said Shaggy may have invested the proceeds of his ill-gotten gains in legitimate businesses. Some commercial and residential properties owned by Shaggy and his associates have been sealed by police, sources said.