Telangana Cyber Bureau Nabs SIM Card Fraudster in Karimnagar

The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau has arrested a SIM card fraudster, Mohammad Asif Pasha, in Karimnagar. Pasha, along with accomplice Jahangir, siphoned over Rs 20 lakh from the bank accounts of a deceased retired official using forged documents. An investigation led to Pasha's arrest, but Jahangir remains at large.

The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has successfully apprehended a SIM card fraudster involved in a cybercrime in Karimnagar. The accused, Mohammad Asif Pasha, was arrested on September 23, 2024.

According to a press release from the bureau, Pasha, alongside Jahangir (A-2), hatched a scheme to illegally siphon funds from the bank accounts of Md Samiuddin, a retired Superintendent from the Irrigation Department who died in 2022. Samiuddin had accounts in SBI and Canara Bank, and his phone number was linked to these accounts as well as to his sister Sabiha Sulthana's SBI account. Jahangir, a colleague from the Irrigation Department, exploited his acquaintance with Samiuddin and shared personal information with Pasha to carry out the fraud.

In June 2024, the accused blocked Samiuddin's Airtel SIM card and fraudulently reactivated it under Pasha's name using forged identity documents. They used this SIM card to access banking apps like PhonePe, Paytm, and Google Pay to transfer Rs 20,18,557 from Samiuddin's and Sabiha Sulthana's accounts. The money was used to pay credit card bills and was moved to their Bank of India account.

Following a thorough investigation, the Cyber Crime Police Station (CCPS) in Karimnagar tracked and arrested Pasha. During the arrest, Rs 18,00,000 in cash, a cellphone, credit cards, and credit card bills were seized. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend Jahangir.

Shikha Goel, IPS, Director of TGCSB, commended the CCPS team in Karimnagar, led by DSP V Narsimha Reddy, for their exceptional work in identifying and arresting the accused.

(With inputs from agencies.)