Mumbai Crime Branch busts fake Amazon call center in Sahar, arrests five for defrauding Canadian citizens | Representational Image
Mumbai: In a major crackdown, Unit 10 of the Mumbai Crime Branch has busted a fake Amazon call center operating out of the Sahar area, which was allegedly involved in defrauding Canadian citizens. Five people have been arrested in connection with the scam, while the mastermind and a few others remain at large.
The arrested accused have been identified as Ahar Musa Qadri, Akash Sahu Kale, Mohammad Shahnawaz Rais Shaikh, Gopalsingh Deeppal, and Mustafa Qaiser Chitalwala. According to officials, a search is underway to locate the key mastermind and his associates who are currently absconding.
Acting on a tip-off, Crime Branch officers raided the premises and found five individuals seated with headsets, engaged in phone conversations. During interrogation, they revealed that they were posing as employees of Amazon and were using an automated telephonic system to send pre-recorded messages to Canadian residents.
The message falsely informed victims that an iPhone had been purchased from their Amazon account. If the recipient did not recognize the transaction, they were instructed to press “1” to cancel the order. Once they did so, their call would be routed to the fake call center where the accused pretended to be Amazon representatives.
Further, the victims were told that due to the seriousness of the matter, their calls would be transferred to the “Canadian Government Crown Attorney Court House.” The call would then be redirected within the same center to another individual posing as a legal authority. This second scammer would convince the victim to purchase a $100 gift card from a reputed company and share the 16-digit code.
The card details would then be passed on to the call center’s alleged kingpin, Shaulesh Dobariya, who would misuse the information to illegally transfer the funds into their bank accounts.
In the raid, the Crime Branch also seized various electronic equipment and documents related to the fraudulent operations. Officials believe the gang has already defrauded several Canadian citizens and suspect the operation to be part of a wider international scam network. The investigation is ongoing, and further arrests are expected.
