Cyber fraud: key accused arrested, 40,000 SIM cards recovered

A police team investigating a cyber fraud case arrested a man reportedly involved in supplying mobile phone SIM cards to online fraudsters in the country. As many as 40,000 SIM cards of di–erent mobile operators and 180 mobile phones were recovered from him.

Cyber Police Inspector I.C. Chitharanjan and team arrested Abdul Roshan, 46, hailing from Haranhalli in Karnataka, from a rented house at Madikeri. District Police Chief S. Sasidharan said Roshan was the kingpin of a cyber fraud group that cheated a man from Vengara of ₹1.08 crore.

Fake share market

Mr. Sasidharan said the group had cheated the man through a fake online share market. He was reportedly made to deposit cash in di–erent bank accounts after being o–ered huge pro€ts.

The police team zeroed in on Roshan using cyber technology and arrested him with the help of the Karnataka Police. He was found to have been collecting and using SIM cards in the names of di–erent people without their knowledge. The SIM card used

SAKEER HUSSAIN to cheat the Vengara man was in the name of a woman who was found to be unaware of such a SIM card in her name. The police said Roshan procured the SIM cards with the help of his friends in mobile shops by paying ₹50 a card.

He reportedly collected the biometric €ngerprints of customers reaching mobile retail shops without their knowledge. The customers would be made to submit their €ngerprints two or three times, and different SIM cards would be made in their names. Roshan allegedly distributed the SIM cards to fraudsters after activating them.

Huge haul: Malappuram District Police Chief S. Sasidharan displaying the SIM cards and mobile phones recovered from cyber fraud accused Abdul Roshan.