In a major breakthrough following the bust of a fake international call centre in the Cidco MIDC area of Chikalthana, the Sambhajinagar police arrested Abdul Farooq Mukadam Shah, alias Farooqi, from Goa on Wednesday. Farooqi is believed to be the second-in-command of the elaborate cyber-fraud operation that had 116 people arrested a day earlier.
According to investigators, the bogus call centre operated out of an IT park and targeted US citizens by posing as officials of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) — America’s equivalent of India’s Income Tax Department. Victims were threatened with legal action over alleged unpaid taxes and coerced into paying through digital payment platforms.
Prashant Swami, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II), said, “The scammers impersonated IRS officials, using illegally obtained personal data such as phone numbers and case details, often sourced from the dark web. Laptops recovered from the site showed use of tools like PeopleFinder, WhitePages, and encrypted email services such as Tutanota to build detailed victim lists.”
Police said the scam was structured like a business process operation, with clearly defined roles. “Dialers” initiated contact using scripted threats, while “Closers” negotiated payments and guided victims through transactions. Training manuals and fake IRS scripts were found on seized devices.
Inspector Geeta Bagwade of MIDC Cidco Police Station explained that payments were demanded through Amazon and Apple iTunes gift cards, or via Zelle and Western Union. The funds were then converted into cryptocurrency through partners in India and abroad.
Investigators also found fake U.S. court documents, tax receipts, and bitcoin transaction records. A structured profit-sharing system was uncovered—45% of the proceeds went to an overseas contact known as “John,” while 55% remained with key Indian operators, including Farooqi, Valay Vyas, Bhavesh Chaudhary, and Satish Lade.
Six of the 116 arrested — Bhavesh Choudhari, Bhavik Patil, Satish Lade, Valay Vyas, Ajay Thakur, and Manovarham Chaudhari — were remanded to nine-day police custody, while the rest were sent to judicial custody.
DCP Swami stated, “Farooqi’s arrest is significant. It will help us trace ‘John,’ believed to be the kingpin of this transnational cyber-fraud network. Further investigations are underway to determine his exact role.”
The police team that arrested Farooqi is expected to return to Sambhajinagar by Thursday. More arrests may follow as digital forensic analysis continues.
