Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Sep 3: Khar police on Tuesday arrested a 38-year-old Bandra resident for allegedly selling SIM cards registered in other people’s names without identity documents or KYC, in violation of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) rules and the Telecom Act, 2023.
The accused has been identified as Iman Abdul Jabbar Shaikh.
Police said a decoy customer approached Shaikh seeking a new SIM card and told him that he did not have an Aadhaar card. For the operation, police used eight Rs 500 notes from secret funds and recovered the money from Shaikh after apprehending him.
At least 39 SIM cards and a mobile phone were seized from the accused.
Investigators are examining how many SIM cards Shaikh had sold and whether cyber fraudsters used them to open mule bank accounts or whether the cards were procured by anti-social elements.
Acting on a tip-off received on September 1, police sent the decoy customer to Shaikh at Linking Road in Khar West. The decoy allegedly purchased two activated SIM cards for Rs 4,000 without providing any identity documents.
In the complaint, constable R C Chaugule said, “Sub-inspector Atul Murdare received a tip-off about a person selling SIM cards on Linking Road without any documents. Murdare informed senior inspector Santosh Kate before initiating action.”
During questioning, Shaikh allegedly told police that he was a mobile network promoter and had been selling SIM cards from a stall in Bandra for the past year. He reportedly said he obtained the SIM cards from a distributor.
Police said 39 inactive SIM cards found in his possession were allegedly intended for sale without documents at higher prices.
A Khar police officer said a preliminary inquiry indicated that Shaikh allegedly collected documents from genuine customers, including labourers and daily-wage workers, and used them without their knowledge to activate three or four additional SIM cards for each legitimate connection.
Checks of Shaikh’s mobile phone showed that the two SIM cards sold to the decoy customer had been activated.
Police are investigating how Shaikh procured the cards and are also working to identify previous buyers.
DCP (West Zone-2) Mohit Garg said the investigation is at an initial stage.