Telangana Police Nab SIM Card Fraudster Linked To Cybercrime Scheme

The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has successfully arrested a SIM card fraudster involved in a cybercrime case in Karimnagar. The accused, Mohammad Asif Pasha, was taken into custody on September 23, 2024. According to a press release from the TGCSB, he, along with another individual named Jahangir, conspired to illegally withdraw funds from the bank accounts of Md Samiuddin, a retired Superintendent from the Irrigation Department who passed away in 2022.

Md Samiuddin, who retired in 2013, had bank accounts with SBI and Canara Bank, both linked to his phone number, as well as to the SBI account of his sister, Sabiha Sulthana, the complainant. Jahangir, a colleague from the Irrigation Department, misused his knowledge of Md Samiuddin to provide personal information to Mohammad Asif Pasha to facilitate the fraud.

“In June 2024, the accused blocked Md Samiuddin’s Airtel SIM card and fraudulently reactivated it under Mohammad Asif Pasha’s name using forged identification documents,” the release noted. They then used this SIM card to access banking applications such as PhonePe, Paytm, and Google Pay, transferring Rs 20,18,557 from the accounts of Md. Samiuddin and Sabiha Sulthana. They also paid credit card bills and transferred funds to their own account at Bank of India.

“After a comprehensive investigation, the Cyber Crime Police Station (CCPS) in Karimnagar traced and arrested A-1, Mohammad Asif Pasha, in Karimnagar,” the release stated. During the arrest, authorities seized Rs 18,00,000 in cash, a mobile phone, credit cards, and credit card bills. The accused was then presented before the Hon’ble Magistrate, and efforts are ongoing to locate and apprehend A-2, Jahangir.

“Shikha Goel, IPS, Director of the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau, praised the CCPS, Karimnagar team, led by DSP V Narsimha Reddy, for their outstanding work in identifying and capturing the accused,” the release concluded.