Call centre scam: High court summons investigating officer on February 26

NOIDA: The

Allahabad high court

has ordered the additional government advocate to ensure the presence of the investigating officer (IO) in the fake call centre scam on February 26, the next date of hearing.

Some 126 people, mostly youths, were arrested by the police when they busted the fake call centre in Sector 63 in December last year.

A division bench of justices Pankaj Naqvi and Umesh Kumar gave the directive on February 7, while hearing a petition filed by two of the three alleged masterminds of the scam — Narendra Pahuja and Jimmy Asija — seeking quashing of the FIR against them.

Pahuja, Asija and Sagar Thakkar (the third mastermind named in the case) are, however, on the run.

In their petition, Pahuja and Asija have claimed that they have “absolutely no concern with the Shailly group” — which is said to have been behind the operation of the fake call centre running from a building in Sector 63’s E block.

Earlier, Noida police had identified Sagar Thakkar alias Shaggy as the kingpin behind the call centre scam, and Pahuja and Asija as his go-to persons in NCR.

“Ensure the presence of the I.O. (investigating officer) concerned along with the case diary, failing which the court may be constrained to summon the SSP concerned personally. Copy of the order be supplied to AN Mulla for compliance,” reads the Allahabad HC order (a copy of which is with TOI).

With the latest development, the petitioners for those arrested by Noida police during the raid, have alleged that the court was forced to make the comments as the police failed to share a report with the additional government advocate (AGA) on time.

“The AGA asks for a report from the concerned IO so that the former can prepare pointers for opposing the contentions made by the petitioners. However, here the court is constrained to summon the IO in person. It is clear that the IO’s report has not been shared with the AGA,” said Gaurav Bhatnagar, the Delhi HC advocate who is representing some of the youths.