The online SIM-swapping racket was operating out of Jharkhand and West Bengal

NEW DELHI: An online SIM-swapping racket operating out of the Maoist-affected forests of Jharkhand and West Bengal has been busted by Delhi Police. The syndicate was found to have duped more than 1,000 people by persuading them to share confidential details on the pretext of linking their Aadhaar with their mobile numbers.

A duplicate SIM card would be created using the details after which it would be used to siphon off money from the bank accounts linked to the mobile number. The gang was found to be operating 1,100 accounts in different banks to transfer about Rs 10 crore from their targets.

DCP (Dwarka) Anto Alphonse said that a team led by ACP, Dwarka, Rajender Singh was formed to track the miscreants after a complaint was filed by a resident of Dwarka. In the complaint, the man had alleged that he had received a call from an unknown number claiming to be a customer care representative of a telecom company. The caller asked the man for his Aadhaar details, debit card number and CVV saying that it would be required for linking the Aadhaar number. After sometime, he received a text message which he was to send to the customer care number 121.

The caller further told the complainant that after forwarding the message to 121, his SIM would be deactivated for some time and would get activated again within 24 hours. However, when the SIM did not get activated, the man called the customer care number and found that another SIM had already been issued on the number. He also found that Rs 4.17 lakh had been withdrawn from his account.

“We analysed technical details of the account in which the money was transferred and reached one of the members of the gang named Manoj Yadav,” said Alphonse. Yadav was questioned, during which he revealed the nexus.

Police reached Jamtara village in Jharkhand based on Yadav’s information and arrested the mastermind of the racket Alimuddin Ansari. Ansari told cops that around 100 members were involved in the racket who had different roles to play during the cheating process.

Yadav’s job was to provide bank accounts to adjust the cheated amount. He would use the Aadhaar and PAN cards of people who were unaware of their use after assuring them that the account opened with their documents would be used for greater good. They used to be paid Rs 2,000 for each account opened with their documents.

The accounts would then be used to transfer the cheated money. Efforts are on to nab the rest of the gang members, who may be spread across India, cops said.

