Bogus call centre busted in Sakinaka, six arrested for selling Viagra to US citizens

Mumbai Crime Branch busts a bogus call centre selling banned drugs to Americans, arrests six, and seizes equipment. Further investigations ongoing.

Mumbai: The Crime Branch has busted a bogus call centre in Sakinaka that was illegally selling Viagra and other banned medicines to American citizens. Six people have been arrested for allegedly operating the racket without licences and evading Indian taxes.

Bogus call centre busted in Sakinaka, six arrested for selling Viagra to US citizens

The accused used Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology via VC Dialer to contact American customers while posing as legitimate telemarketers. They allegedly sold prescription drugs without authorisation, exploiting online payment systems to receive funds from abroad.

The police have seized six hard disks, two mobile phones, a pen drive, and crucial data from six computers. The recovered data is being analysed for further leads.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Asad Saleem Sayyad, 32, the owner of the call centre; Zaid Ehsan Shaikh, 31, the manager; and telecallers Ovais Ehsan Shaikh, 27, Taufiq Wasim Shaikh, Adnan Ahmed Sayyed, 21, and Rehan Yaya Khan, 18. They were produced in court and remanded in police custody until February 4.

According to an official from Unit 10 of the Mumbai Crime Branch, a tip-off led police to the illegal operation in a Sakinaka building. After verifying the existence of the call centre, officers raided the premises on Saturday night, confiscating equipment and detaining the suspects for interrogation.

During questioning, it was revealed that the accused used fake identities and spoke with an American accent to American customers. Rehan Khan posed as ‘David,’ Adnan Ahmad Syed as ‘Kevin James,’ Ovais Ahsan Ali Shaikh as ‘Jack,’ and Taufiq Shaikh as ‘Sam.’ Call centre owner Asad Sayyad went by ‘Peter,’ while manager Zaid Ahsan Shaikh used the alias ‘Ricky.’

Inspector Deepak Sawant of Unit 10 stated that the accused were running the illegal operation for several months. They sourced the banned drugs through a contact in Kalina and accepted payments through various online channels, bypassing tax regulations.

Police are now investigating the supply chain to trace the origins of the unlicensed medicines. A case has been registered at the Sakinaka police station, with further inquiries being conducted by the Mumbai Crime Branch’s Unit 10.