Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch has uncovered a bogus call centre operating in the Sakinaka area and arrested six individuals for allegedly defrauding American citizens and evading Indian taxes. The accused were making VOIP calls using a VC dialer and illegally selling erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs like Viagra and Cialis without licenses or prescriptions.

Seizures and Investigation

During the raid, police seized six hard drives, two mobile phones, a pen drive, and multiple data files from six computers. Authorities are currently analyzing the recovered data for further leads in the case.

The arrested individuals have been identified as: Asad Saleem Sayyad (32) – Owner of the call centre Zaid Ehsan Shaikh (31) – Manager Ovais Ehsan Shaikh (27) Telecaller, Taufiq Wasim Shaikh Telecaller, Adnan Ahmed Sayyed (21) Telecaller, Rehan Yaya Khan (18) Telecaller

The accused were produced before the court and have been remanded to police custody until February 4.

Bogus Identities and Fraudulent Operations

According to officials from Unit 10 of the Mumbai Crime Branch, the operation came to light following a tip-off about an illegal call centre operating from a building in Sakinaka. A police team conducted a raid on Saturday night, confirming the presence of the fraudulent operation.

During interrogation, it was revealed that the telecallers used fake identities to target American citizens: Rehan Khan posed as David, Adnan Ahmad Sayyed used the name Kevin James, Ovais Ahsan Ali Shaikh identified himself as Jack, Taufiq Shaikh operated under the alias Sam.

Call centre owner Asad Sayyad (alias Peter) and manager Zaid Ahsan Shaikh (alias Ricky) confessed to running the operation without a valid license. They were illegally exporting medicines to foreign countries through a Kalina-based contact, receiving payments through various online channels while evading taxes.

Further Investigation Underway

Police Inspector Deepak Sawant of Unit 10 stated that investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the prescription drugs being sold without proper authorization. A case has been registered at Sakinaka Police Station, with Unit 10 leading the probe into this international fraud and tax evasion racket.