Mumbai: In a major crackdown on an international online fraud network, the Mumbai Crime Branch (Unit 9) has busted a fake pharmaceutical call-centre that allegedly sold counterfeit Viagra, Cialis, and other controlled medicines to US nationals by impersonating representatives of American drug companies.
The racket, which operated under the name Team Grand 9 Security Services LLP, was running from commercial premises in Kewalipada on S.V. Road in Amboli, Jogeshwari (West), and had reportedly been active for the past six to seven months.
Acting on specific intelligence, Unit 9 conducted a raid around 2:00 a.m. on December 4, 2025. During the operation, officers detained several call-centre operators and uncovered a full-scale telemarketing setup using VoIP systems. The callers used American-sounding aliases such as “Mike,” “Alex,” “James,” “Shawn,” and “Steven” to target US citizens whose private information had been illegally sourced.
The scam callers allegedly pitched medicines like Viagra, Cialis, and Tramadol, presenting themselves as authorized pharmaceutical sellers. Payments were collected in US dollars through unregulated channels, and the fraudulent centre operated without any valid licensing or agreements with legitimate pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Eight individuals have been arrested so far: Mohammad Aamir Iqbal Shaikh (40), Mahir Iqbal Patel (26), Mohammad Shabib Mohammad Khalil Shaikh (26), Mohammad Ayaz Parvez Shaikh (26), Adnan Eshanullah Shaikh (32), Aryan Musaffir Qureshi (49), Ayan Ahmed Shaikh (19), and Rashmatt Jamil Jariwala (29).
Two of the arrested individuals — Mahir Iqbal Patel and Mohammad Aamir Iqbal Shaikh — are believed to be the main partners managing the call-centre operations. The alleged mastermind Muzzaffar Shaikh (43), along with associates including Aamir Mannaiyar, fled before the raid and is currently absconding.
Police officials stated that the group posed as legitimate pharmaceutical agents, created specialized calling systems for international outreach, used illegally obtained foreign data, routed payments through undeclared channels, and evaded taxes — causing significant financial loss to government revenue.
During the raid, officers seized laptops, headsets, VoIP devices, hard drives, transaction logs, and call scripts believed to contain evidence of data theft and fraudulent activity.
All accused were produced before the Esplanade Court and remanded to police custody until December 10, 2025. Forensic experts will now analyze seized electronic equipment to determine the scale of data breach, the number of US nationals targeted, and the international connections of the call-centre. Officials believe this is part of a wider cross-border pharmaceutical fraud network, and further arrests are expected as the investigation continues to unfold.