Two police constables out of five arrested by Mumbai Police in illegal telecom data extortion

Mumbai police have arrested five alleged purveyors of illegally obtained telecom data, including two police constables serving in Jharkhand and Bihar, as part of an investigation into a man who posed as a police inspector and offered to retrieve lost or stolen mobile phones.

The case was registered under Sections 318(2), 319(2), 204, 223, 351(2), 112(2), 238 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with Sections 43(a), 66 and 66C of the Information Technology Act.

Police said investigators have identified nine accused in the network providing Call Detail Records (CDR), Subscriber Detail Records (SDR) and mobile phone location information. Five of them were arrested in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Bihar.

The investigation began after officers received information about a man residing within the boundaries of the Oshiwara Police Station who advertised on Instagram that he could retrieve stolen or lost phones. People responding to the ads contacted the mobile number listed in his posts.

The man allegedly presented himself as “Inspector Sanjay” despite not holding any government position, and extorted money from people to restore their phones using telecom data obtained illegally through his contacts.

Crime Branch officers took him into custody on June 22 near the entrance of Ayesha Tower, opposite HP Petrol Pump on SV Road in Jogeshwari West. Police said an examination of the two mobile phones recovered from him showed that he allegedly obtained subscriber details, location information and call records from other accused.

Investigators subsequently tracked down the alleged suppliers, including two police constables. Police said the accused provided 50 CDRs, more than 520 SDRs, location information for more than 550 mobile numbers and information related to more than 420 International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers.

Seven mobile phones were seized from the accused.

Published – 10 Oct 2026 02:10 IST