Igatpuri Call Centre Scam: CBI Flags Shell Firm Network Linked To IPS Officers’ Kin

Mumbai, April 11: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has significantly widened its probe into the Igatpuri fake call centre syndicate, uncovering a sophisticated network of suspected partnership-based shell firms allegedly linked to two senior Maharashtra Police officers. Investigators have identified a cluster of over five entities spread across Thane and Navi Mumbai that are believed to have functioned as conduits to route and layer the proceeds of international cyber fraud.

Probe into police-linked entities

According to agency sources, the central agency has scrutinised the role of two IPS-level officers and several subordinates who allegedly provided a “security umbrella” to the syndicate. The agency said the entities operated under the guise of consultancy, logistics, and retail partnerships, and were allegedly facilitating the laundering of “protection money” paid to high-ranking officials.

Officials said the firms display recurring red flags, including overlapping ownership patterns involving family members of the officers as partners, shared or unverifiable addresses, minimal capitalisation, and limited public disclosures—indicators commonly associated with layered financial structures designed to obscure fund flows.

LLP under scanner

Among the entities under scrutiny is a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) incorporated in November 2019 and operating from a residential address in Majiwada, Thane, with a capital contribution of Rs 1 lakh. The firm is managed by two designated partners, the son of a police official posted in the Marathwada region and the daughter of an IG-rank officer, who is under the scanner in the fake call centre case and is also facing separate allegations in the Ashok Kharat case.

The LLP is officially classified under retail trade and repair of personal and household goods. The firm is currently in the process of being "struck off", a development that has drawn investigators’ attention due to its incongruous business profile, limited disclosures, and absence of publicly available financial data, pointing to negligible activity. The LLP shows no publicly available financial disclosures over the past five years, raising questions about the scale and nature of its operations.

Suspicion of shell structures

Officials said the entity appears to be an unlisted structure with no record of public share transactions, raising the possibility that it functioned as a shell firm. The CBI is mapping the financial timelines of this and other family-linked entities to determine whether they served as a coordinated hub for distributing illicit proceeds generated from cyber fraud operations.

Another company, incorporated over a decade ago and registered at a commercial complex in Navi Mumbai, is classified under the manufacturing of communication equipment. However, officials pointed to the absence of recent financial disclosures or publicly available performance data, making it difficult to independently verify the scale of its operations. The entity is linked to the same set of individuals who are associated with the Thane-based flat-registered LLP, further strengthening investigators' suspicion of a connected network.

Linked firms and shared addresses

The probe has also identified two entities, a private company and an LLP incorporated in early 2021 and operating from the same premises on Kolbad Road in Thane. Officials said both firms share common ownership links involving the son and a family relative of a senior police officer. Despite being classified under automobile trade and services, preliminary checks have found no verifiable evidence of active operations or business infrastructure. The shared address and overlapping control have intensified suspicion that the entities may form part of a layered network under investigation.

Focus on financial trail

The investigation is now focused on mapping linkages between these entities, including ownership patterns, address histories, and financial transactions that may connect them to proceeds generated through alleged cyber fraud operations.

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The CBI is also examining whether these firms were used as conduits to route funds across multiple accounts and jurisdictions, while assessing the extent of the alleged involvement or knowledge of the individuals linked to the network. Officials further suspect that the network of shell firms may also have been used to handle proceeds linked to extortion, political liaisoning, case settlements, and the collection of protection money.

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