CIU nabs international scamster in Mumbai, seized Rs five lakh in cash, gold worth Rs10 lakhs

In a major swoop, the Crime Branch of Mumbai police netted an international scamster who is part of a racket in which many US and Canadian citizens were cheated of millions of dollars by the operatives posing as tax, citizenship or immigration officials.

The operation was carried out by the Criminal Intelligence Unit of the Crime Branch.

The accused has been identified as Nishant Nagraj Shirsikar, a 30-year-old youth from Mumbai.

The CIU seized Rs five lakh in cash and gold biscuits worth Rs10 lakhs besides a small quantity of ganja and ganja-filled cigarettes from Shirsagar.

The accused was part of an international racket operated from different Indian cities through certain call centres and from the homes of the operatives.

The international racket operated from different Indian cities through certain call centres and from the homes of the operatives.

It targets hundreds of US and Canada based citizens and defrauded of millions of dollars.

As part of the scam, individuals from call centres impersonated officials from the Internal Revenue Service or US Citizenship and Immigration Services in a ruse designed to defraud victims located throughout America and Canada.

“Using information obtained from data brokers and other sources, these racketeers targeted people in the US and Canada who were threatened with arrest, imprisonment, fines or deportation if they did not pay the alleged money owed to the government,” officials said.

Victims, who agreed to pay the scammers, were instructed how to make a payment, including by purchasing stored value cards or wiring money.

During the custody, further unaccounted cash of Rs 35 lakhs and gold biscuits totalling of 200 grams were seized from his lockers at Axis Bank Malad (West) branch.