Leader of Opposition Dr. Mukul Sangma has reiterated his demand for a thorough inquiry into the fake US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) call centre racket that occurred three years ago at some call centres in the city including one located in the premises owned by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.
It may be noted that the scam was unearthed by the State police in August 2017. According to police, a group of people working with these call centres have been making calls to people in the US, posing as officials of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), United States. The callers would tell the US citizens that they had not paid their taxes and ask them to deposit money or buy some gift coupons. A number of persons have been arrested in this connection.
“This case requires a serious intervention. We must know who was there who had the courage to really engage in this kind of recruiting of our people and training them and under whose behest? We are not going to take this lightly,” Dr. Sangma told media persons here today.
Dr. Sangma also denied that he was making personal attacks on Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and his family in this matter.
“If we are speaking about something that is happening in somebody’s residence whether it is by default or by plan or by design, why should it be considered as a personal attack,” Dr. Sangma said.
Stating that two of the employees of SS Netcom were also arrested, interrogated and they have confessed that they were recruiting people and then handing over to a fraud call centre – IFA Enterprise, Dr. Sangma said that the details of the case are all on records.
The leader of opposition also alleged that despite the fact that there were lots of financial transactions, the investigation into the case has not gone to find out where the transaction has taken place and from which account to which account.
“Therefore, how are they saying that the investigation is completed and a charge-sheet filed. If an incomplete charge-sheet is submitted before the court then that means it amounts to deliberate intention to hide the facts and destroy evidence,” Dr. Sangma said.
He also said that one of the trainees in her statement to police had revealed that she was trained to be a criminal to be able to impersonate as an IRS officer.
“That is why I am saying there is a necessity to investigate further to prevent such adventurism by anybody to train our youth to become criminals which is very dangerous,” Dr. Sangma said.
According to Dr. Sangma, lots of skill training programmes were given at that time and several service providers including SS Netcom were given the responsibility of giving skill training programmes for the local youth of the State.
“If the government’s programme is to train someone to become skilled in the IT sector and subsequently they are trained in something else to be part of a team of criminal gangs, then that will destroy our generation next. It is very dangerous to have our youth to be a victim of this kind of network of criminal activities,” he said.
Dr. Sangma further said that during his tenure as chief minister he had directed the investigating officers to pursue the case to its logical conclusion and not allow anybody to interfere with the probe.
“We wanted that the law should prevail and take its own course,” he added.
