The Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the city crime branch has arrested a 29-year-old man in connection with the international call center racket.
The accused identified as Akshay Rahalkar was responsible for handling international payments for the racketeers, said a crime branch officer. Recently, the crime branch had busted at least five call centers for allegedly duping people in United States of America (USA) and Canada.
According to the crime branch officer, Rahaklar as handling the processing of the international payments for the racketeers. Several shell companies were established in the USA and payments to the Indian counterpart were routed through these shell companies.
Rahalkar, a BE graduate, was operating from his house in Mahim, said a crime branch officer.
Earlier this month, the crime branch had busted several call centers from Malad for allegedly duping foreign citizens. The racketeers were also found selling narcotic substances and Viagra to the people in these countries.
According to the police, the call center employees posing and a Internal Revenue Services (IRS) officers or US Citizenship and Immigration Services officers, threatened the foreign nationals with arrest, imprisonment, fines or deportation if they failed to pay the alleged money owed to the government. Fearing the threats, the citizens of these countries ended up paying them. The money was accepted in gift cards.
The accused were also found selling and trafficking narcotic substances, such as Tramadol, and unprescribed medicines, such as Sildenafil, commonly used in Viagra to the people in these countries.
