Cop sends son undercover as sweeper to bust call centre

The accused after being produced for their custody hearing in court

A 21-year-old helped his policeman father and the Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) police bust a fake call centre by posing as a sweeper at the society the fraudsters were operating from. The fraudsters used to cheat stock traders by making false promises of lucrative returns if they invest in the forex market. Six people have been arrested in the case.

Police sources said that the accused used to keep changing their office's location. Officers from the Special Branch and Cyber cell got wind of their location in Vasai but weren't sure of the exact flat. So one of them deployed his son as a sweeper in the society. The youngest leader donned shabby clothes and put a towel on his shoulder.

Mastermind Adil Yusuf Memon. Pics/Hanif Patel

"The accused had rented the premises in December but we did not know which flat they were in. We did not want to conduct a raid without concrete evidence. We only knew that a group of men enter the society at 9 am and return after 5.30 pm," said an officer. One of their attempts to tail the accused had already failed.
"A Special Branch officer, Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) Mahesh Gosavi told his son to dress up in shabby clothes and tail a group of men at Vishwakarma Paradise society, Vasai," the source said.

On ground zero

On Thursday morning, Gosavi's son, Omkar, reached the spot with a broom. "It was around 8.30 am when two men arrived. I started to sweep the society and a few minutes later, more people came in a car. I followed them upstairs while cleaning the staircase," Omkar said.

Omkar Gosavi is an automobile engineering student

"The men stopped at the first floor and entered a flat. The main door did not have a peeping hole," said Omkar. He returned downstairs and told his father about the flat number and the number of men.

The police prepared a team for a raid and again took Omkar's help. "This time, I donned formal clothes and went to the flat along with the security guard. I told them to move their car as a big vehicle of mine was about to arrive. They initially refused but later agreed and a duo went down and was caught by the police. Meanwhile, I entered the flat and four men started arguing with me. Just then the police arrived and took them in custody," Omkar said.

PSI Gosavi said, "Omkar's help was crucial and helped us have a successful raid. He is a brave boy."

Modus operandi

The head of the cyber cell team of MBVV police, Assistant Police Inspector (API) Pravin Swamy, said, "We have recovered 48 SIM cards, 16 cellphones and 10 bank accounts of the accused."

The arrested accused have been identified as Adil Yusuf Memon, 28, Hussain Noman Bundiwala, 22, Huzaifa Akbar Bahrenwala, 23, Murtaza Huzema Bhandpurawala, 19, Abdeli Shabbir Iji, 21, and Husen Shabbir Sanjanwala, 23.

"The mastermind is Adil and his brother who is yet to be arrested. Adil had been running the operation for four to five years," API Swamy said. "The fraudsters developed an app for smartphones. They would target online traders by luring them to use their app for attractive returns," Swamy said.

"On the app, the accused would manipulate details of stock traders' Demat accounts to show better returns. Later, they would convince them to invest in the forex market," Swamy said, adding that more people are believed to have been cheated during the lockdown to the tune of crores. The accused used to pocket all the money people invested.

"So far, two such apps, MTS and FQ Markets have been found on their phones. Adil developed many such apps in the past," Swamy said.

Police have learnt that a case has been registered against FQ Markets app at Jamshedpur and Tirupati, while two people were cheated in Vasai on Thursday.

"Our officers have worked proactively in the case. Now we have to attend to the complexities inherent in the investigation which involves electronic evidence. I would like to make an appeal to the victims to come forward and join the investigation," Commissioner of Police Sadanand Date told mid-day.