Mumbai Police arrests three in cyber fraud ring linked to ₹24 crore, 2,898 SIM cards
The accused are said to have acted as buyers and sellers in the chain, obtaining accounts and SIM cards from people below them and passing them on to operators higher up in the network | Photo credit: Reuters
Mumbai police have arrested three men accused of providing bank accounts and SIM cards for mules to a cyber fraud ring suspected of handling around ₹350 million.
The three accused have been identified as Islamuddin Salimuddin Sheikh, 44, Yasir Nasiruddin Sheikh, 26, and Abdul Razzaq Abdul Rauf, 42. They were arrested by Crime Branch Unit 5 on September 11 and produced before the Esplanade Court, which remanded them in police custody until September 19.
A case has been registered at Malad police station under the provisions of BNS regarding cheating involving supply of property, criminal conspiracy, inducement and acts committed by several persons with common intention. Police also invoked Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, which deals with impersonation fraud using a computer or communication device.
According to DCP (Detection) Raj Tilak Roshan, the accused would buy bank accounts and SIM cards from other persons by paying them a commission and then use or provide them to move proceeds generated by cyber fraud.
The accused are said to have acted as both buyers and sellers in the chain, procuring accounts and SIM cards from people below them and passing them on to operators higher up in the network.
The Mumbai Police said the wider cyber fraud network uncovered during the investigation involved transactions worth around ₹350 crore. So far, investigators have specifically traced around ₹24 crore in suspected cyber fraud transactions through 10 bank accounts linked to the accused.
Thirty-two cybercrime complaints linked to the accounts were also found in the National Cybercrime Reporting System linked to the 1930 Hotline.
The Crime Squad 5 started the investigation after receiving information that the accused and their associates were procuring bank accounts opened in their names as well as the names of others along with SIM cards linked to the accounts. Police claimed they took control of passbooks, ATM cards, checkbooks, SIM cards and other banking material and supplied or used them to channel the proceeds of cybercrime.
The investigation also revealed the alleged use of as many as 2,898 SIM cards for cyber fraud, police said. It was found that 32 complaints linked to identified bank accounts were registered on the National Cyber Help Portal, 1,930.
First, the Criminal Division 5 received information that the accused and their associates were establishing or obtaining bank accounts in their own and other people’s names and acquiring SIM cards linked to these accounts.
Police alleged that the accused retained control of passbooks, ATM cards, check books, SIM cards and other banking material, allowing the accounts to be used to receive and transfer proceeds of online fraud.
During the operation, the police seized 88 bank passbooks, 143 checkbooks, 100 ATM cards, 167 SIM cards, 24 mobile phones, two laptops and other bank documents and material.
Investigators said transactions worth around ₹24 crore have been identified so far through just 10 bank accounts linked to the network. A large volume of seized banking material is now being examined to see if more accounts, victims and cybercrime complaints are linked to the operation.
Criminal Division 5 is investigating the identity of the persons who allegedly supplied the accounts and SIM cards to the accused, as well as the superior operators to whom they were allegedly handed over.
Published – September 12, 2026 12:47 PM IST