'US accomplice kept 20%, sent remaining money to Shaggy'

THANE: Investigators probing the intricate financial web established by Sagar Thakar (24), alias Shaggy, the alleged mastermind of the fake call centre scam, have zeroed in on a US citizen who routed the scam money to his accounts using a prominent money transfer agency.
Thakar is understood to have named Oakland resident James Norris as the one who redeemed the 16-digit I-tune codes bought by US citizens after they were threatened by people calling from the fake call centres in Mira Road, posing as taxmen from the US.“The US citizens were asked to buy 16-digit I-Tune gift cards of a particular value and the numericals were to be shared with the caller. The call centre employee would pass the 16-digit number to Shaggy through WhatsApp, who would in turn send it to Norris whose task was to redeem the card,“ a police officer told TOI. Norris got to keep 20% of the money and sent the remainder to Shaggy using a money transfer service. Shaggy claimed he had to pay his other associates and he got only 35-40%. Later, there were technical issues so they rou ted the transfer through mer chants in China. “We are yet to understand the process and the exact amount the scam in volved is unavailable as Shag gy `erased' all the data from his phone,“ said the officer.
Incidentally, the name of Norris figured prominently in the indictment order of Octo ber 28, 2016, in which a US grand jury in Texas held 61 persons guilty , linked to the fa ke call centres in Ahmedabad and Mira Road. Of these, 31ac cused are from India. “Norris is also absconding in the US,“ said the officer.
Investigators found besides a bungalow, Shaggy bought two commercial spaces in Ahmedabad for the fake call centres. “The cost of these offices is collectively over Rs 2 crore. He claimed he sold his bungalow for Rs 2.50 crore to pay lawyers and others,“ he said.