Fake call centre cheating US citizens busted in Maharashtra; 16 people arrested
Thane (PTI): Thane police have busted a fake call centre which allegedly duped US citizens after offering them loans and arrested 16 people in this connection, an official said on Sunday.
Acting on a tip-off, the police raided the call centre located in Wagle Estate area of Maharashtra's Thane city on the intervening night of Friday-Saturday and nabbed the people working there, including three women, senior police inspector V B Murtadak said.
He said the accused would contact people in the US and offer them loans. After obtaining their bank account details, the accused would siphon off funds from their accounts, the official said.
An agent coordinating in the US would collect the money and transfer it to India through 'hawala' after taking his share from it, the police said.
Hawala denotes illegal transaction of funds by skirting the legal banking channels.
The 16 people arrested include the call centre owners - Siddesh Sudhir Bhaidkar (33) and Sania Rakesh Jaiswal (26), the official said.
A juvenile was also detained in connection with the offence and later handed over to his parents after completion of legal formalities, the official said.
The police have seized various equipment, gadgets and data from the call centre, he said.
Offences were registered against the accused under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Information Technology Act and the Indian Telegraph Act, the official said.
The accused were on Saturday produced before a local magistrate who remanded them in police custody for seven days, he said.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
