On A Breathless Ride With Mazhar Farooqui

Having spent several decades as a reporter, the Dubai based Indian journalist Mazhar Farooqui has just published his memoir.

Titled “The Maz Files: Scoops, Scams, and Showdowns”, the 300-page book by Farooqui is a thrilling read, covering two decades of scoops, scams that have exposed and brought to book several crooks and scamsters on different continents.

The book comes at a time when journalism in the country seems to have lost its purpose. Propaganda and self-promotion by those in power is preferred to that which is beneficial to the public.

Free and fearless journalism has faltered and the country is drowned in fake news. Ground reports are a thing of the past as most mainstream journalists prefer to be parked in the lap of those who own media houses, and air, and publish propaganda as news. Paid news is the norm with government officials having succeeded in controlling the media’s narrative by having editors and journalists sacked, government advertising slashed, and tax investigations let loose on media outlets.

Those journalists who do an honest day’s work are often threatened in person, and attacked online as well. There seem to be no takers for the truth today. Few reporters spend time identifying problems or researching. Leads are seldom pursued, and there is no question of interviewing those in power. All those who have been wronged are also afraid to spill the truth. Fact-checking and following an ethical guideline of reporting is of no value to the glamour struck, and money motivated media representatives calling themselves news men.

Reporters without Borders, have ranked India 142nd in the world on the global press freedom index. In the midst of this shame the courageous reporting done by Farooqui is precious. His in-depth reports for more than two decades has earned him the nickname of the Indian James Bond.

Farooqui told The Citizen that he has often got into trouble for his reporting. He recalled being threatened for reporting Islamophobic posts on social media. The threats had spilled over to his family when trolls said that his daughters would be harmed for his report on anti-Muslim posts online by UAE-based Indian expatriates.

In his book, Farooqui writes about other showdowns with several con men from around the world and whom he calls evil geniuses. He has also taken on celebrities like Michael Jackson, Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Salman Khan.

To read his memoir is to accompany Farooqui on a breathless ride across continents amidst claims that he was born with drama running in his blood. While still a child he wrote plays which he would perform for the family. He had always wanted to write but journalism was not the plan. That is till a communal riot took place in his hometown Lucknow.

He was still a student and outraged at the way the media had twisted the truth regarding the cause of the riots. That was the turning point. Farooqui vowed that he would finish his studies and take up journalism as a career. He also vowed to pursue and to always report the truth, and nothing but the truth.

Excerpts from The Citizen interview with the senior editor of The Khaleej Times:

Tell readers a bit more about “The Maz Files: Scoops, Scams, and Showdowns”.

The Maz Files is an unfiltered look into my life as an investigative journalist. It's filled with captivating stories about 13 evil geniuses, daring undercover operations, and some of the most gripping scoops from my career. The book wasn’t easy—there were threats, legal battles, and a lot of sweat, but the overwhelming response has made it all worth it.

What inspired you to write The Maz Files?

Honestly, it felt like the right time. I’ve spent years breaking big stories, and I wanted to leave something behind that spoke to that. Plus, for those who say there's no real investigative journalism in the UAE, I want them to look at my work and know someone did shake things up.

Of the 13 "evil geniuses" in your book, who is your favourite and why?

Oh, there are a few unforgettable ones! One of my favourite is a man who faked his own death to pull off multi-million dollar scams. His family even shared heart-wrenching posts about losing him, complete with photos of him in a coffin and obituaries in his name. Meanwhile, this guy was very much alive and scamming people left, right, and center.

Another wild one was a fraudster so notorious he had a BBC documentary made about him. He conned London’s oldest football club, the Korean government, and even managed to launch a fake Financial Times magazine in Dubai. He threw a swanky party and tricked big companies into buying full-page ads for a whole year, all on advance payments. The guy even called himself "Lord Voldemort," which I found oddly amusing.

What is the biggest story you've uncovered in your career so far?

Recently, I broke a story that led to the dismantling of what could be the world’s largest cybercrime network. Thousands of South Asians, including many Indians, were trapped in high-rise buildings in the UAE, working for Chinese syndicates that scammed people back home. My three-month investigation revealed the scale of the operation, and law enforcement stepped in to shut it down.

Another one was a multi-million-dollar recruitment scam spread across three continents. I infiltrated the scam by submitting a hilariously bad CV, claiming I was a terrible chef with fake qualifications. Unsurprisingly, they offered me a job! After my story went live, the authorities acted swiftly and arrested everyone involved.

We all have life-altering moments. What was yours?

I once spent a night in lockup over a bogus defamation case. The experience was harrowing, but the moment that really hit me was learning that my parents and wife had slept on the floor that night in solidarity. That was an eye-opener.

Can you share an instance when your writing helped reunite someone with a lost loved one?

Absolutely. Just last month, I helped reunite a woman from Gujarat with her husband, who had been missing in the UAE for three years. It took me under 12 hours to track him down. It’s moments like these that make my job so fulfilling.

What do you love most about your job?

I love cracking codes—figuring out the modus operandi behind scams and frauds. But the best part is seeing the real-world impact my stories can have.

What is the biggest challenge faced by you in your work?

Sources retracting information, dealing with defamation lawsuits, and the constant threats. It's part of the job, but it never gets easier.

The negative side of your profession…if any?

Well, there was a time when I found out that my daughters were on a hit list. That was terrifying. As for enemies, there’s a guy who calls from untraceable numbers, threatening to kill me. He calls almost every week. I’m not even sure why he's so upset!

What is next?

My next book is a romantic thriller called Maaz and Myra. I'm writing it with a Pakistani woman, Dr. Amina Mehmood, who I’ve never met in person. We’ve been collaborating over WhatsApp and emails. It is an exciting process.