Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Aug 6: In a significant crackdown on cyber and telecom fraud, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru has arrested three individuals in two separate cases — one involving a fake legal aid company targeting cybercrime victims, and the other related to an illegal SIM box racket converting international calls into local ones, causing crores in losses to telecom service providers and the government.
Fake legal aid firm dupes cyber fraud victims
In the first case, Thufail Ahmed (37), a software engineer residing in Kothanur, and a native of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, was arrested for running a bogus legal aid operation under the guise of assisting victims of cyber fraud.
The scam came to light after a woman from Ramamurthynagar, who had previously lost Rs 1.5 crore in a cybercrime incident in February, was further conned by Ahmed. While searching for legal help online, she was approached by Ahmed, who posed as a representative of ‘Quickmoto Legal Service’. He promised to recover her lost funds through legal channels and collected Rs 12.5 lac from her — but never followed through.
During investigation, police discovered that ‘Quickmoto’ had no physical office. However, a second fraudulent firm run by Ahmed under the name ‘India Legal Service’ was traced to Kasturinagar, where he had set up a call centre with 12 tele-callers. These employees would contact recent victims of cybercrime under the pretext of offering legal assistance, primarily by scraping data from complaint forums and portals.
Ahmed used VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services to make anonymous calls and avoid detection. His brother, based in Dubai, allegedly helped him establish these fake companies. The CCB revealed that illegal financial transactions involving crores of rupees were conducted under this set-up, and 29 criminal cases have so far been registered against Ahmed at various police stations across India.
SIM box racket diverts international calls into local , two arrested
In a separate operation, the CCB arrested Fayaz M A (31) and Mohammed Saffaf (30), both natives of Malappuram, Kerala, for running an unauthorised international telephone exchange from a rented flat in Immadihalli, Whitefield.
The duo used a SIM box, a device that routes international phone calls over data networks and re-terminates them as local calls — effectively bypassing licensed international call gateways. This not only resulted in severe revenue loss to telecom operators but also caused an estimated multi-crore loss to the national exchequer.
Police stated that the racket was initiated following a tip from a relative of one of the accused working in Dubai, who observed that many migrant workers were struggling with high international call rates. The accused then imported foreign SIM cards via courier, inserted them into the SIM box, and set up the system to reroute overseas calls at local rates.
Operating for the past six months, the illegal exchange generated crores of rupees in revenue. A portion of the earnings was routed to their overseas handler through hawala channels to avoid detection.
Acting on a joint complaint from a private telecom service provider and the Department of Telecommunications filed on July 30, CCB officers raided the premises, arrested the accused, and seized 703 SIM cards, VoIP equipment, and other incriminating materials.
Cybercrime and telecom frauds on the rise
The two cases underscore the escalating sophistication of tech-enabled financial and telecom frauds in Bengaluru. From exploiting victims of cybercrimes to bypassing international call systems, fraudsters are increasingly leveraging technology and global networks to commit white-collar crimes.
Police have reiterated their warning to the public to remain vigilant, verify the credentials of legal service providers, and report suspicious online activity to cybercrime portals.