The Thane Cyber Cell officials busted an international online share trading fraud and arrested three people for providing SIM cards to fraudsters. They confiscated 779 activated SIM cards and discovered that 3000 SIM cards were used in cybercrimes. Additionally, they seized a laptop, a router, 23 mobile phones, 50 debit cards, 20 passbooks, and a chequebook.
The arrested people are Aftab Irshad Thebar, 22, and Manish Kumar Deshmukh, 27, residents of Chhattisgarh, and Hafiz Ahmad, also known as Bhaijaan, a Delhi-based cloth businessman.
According to Chitalsar police, the arrests came after a local resident reported losing Rs 29 lakh in a share investment scam facilitated through a WhatsApp link. Thebar and Deshmukh obtained SIM cards from roadside stalls and mobile shops, selling them to Ahmad, who further distributed them for Rs2000-3000 to people residing in China, Cambodia, and Dubai.
Further investigation uncovered that gang using 2600 SIM cards across 30 mobile phones in Chhattisgarh and Tripura. Tracking the mobile number and IP address led police to Raipur, Chhattisgarh, where Thebar and Deshmukh were arrested on July 5. They were brought to Thane and remanded in custody until July 17.
During interrogation, it was revealed that mobile shop employees obtained multiple SIM cards using customers’ fingerprints without their knowledge. Ahmad was arrested in Delhi and remanded in custody until July 19 after confessing to selling 3000 SIM cards, which activated 3,000 WhatsApp accounts.
Prakash Warke, the investigating police officer, said, “The investigation is underway with the main kingpins still at large. Six bank accounts and 14 cases across various states have been linked to the accused, and a manhunt for their accomplices is underway.”
