Odisha Crime Branch arrests three for selling mobile numbers to cyber criminals – The New Indian Express

By Specific Information Service

BHUBANESWAR: The State Crime Department has arrested three individuals from Dhenkanal for allegedly promoting pre-activated cell phone numbers to cyber fraudsters, which the latter used to create pretend WhatsApp accounts of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and requested cash from a number of MPs.

The company acquired a tipof f {that a} cell phone quantity having its location historical past in Dhenkanal district was used to create pretend WhatsApp account of Birla. The cyber fraudsters used the {photograph} of the Speaker and despatched messages to different MPs requesting for cash.

The company registered a case on this connection underneath Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471, 120B, 30 of IPC together with Sections 66C and 66D of the Data Expertise Act on April 30. Crime Department launched an investigation into the matter and nabbed prime accused Dushmanta Sahu of Nadiali village and his associates Sai Prakash Das of Dhenkanal city and Avinash Nayak of Meena Bazar on Might 1.

Das owns a store Sky Arts and he together with Nayak had been promoting pre-activated SIM playing cards to Sahu. Based on Crime Department sources, Sahu had joined a gaggle referred to as Purchaser-Vendor of OTP on Fb and used to obtain a cost of Rs 400 for promoting one lively cell phone quantity.

He shared the numbers of pre-activated SIM playing cards to cyber fraudsters on on-line platforms after which supplied the onetime passwords (OTPs) after they opened pretend WhatsApp accounts. He additionally supplied the OTPs when the cyber criminals opened pretend accounts/digital wallets on Amazon, PhonePe, Paytm, amongst others.

“Prime accused Sahu by no means offered pre-activated SIM playing cards to cyber fraudsters bodily. He simply supplied the pre-activated cell phone numbers used to create pretend WhatsApp accounts. The cyber criminals utilised these numbers to con the victims and obtain cash on cast digital wallets,” stated Addl DGP (Crime Department) Sanjeeb Panda.

Preliminary investigation suggests Sahu has been promoting preactivated cell phone numbers for the reason that final two years. Crime Department officers have traced seven financial institution accounts within the title of Sahu and his members of the family together with three Paytm wallets.

They’ve seized 19,641 preactivated SIM playing cards of service suppliers – BSNL, Vodafone, Jio, Airtel, Vi and Tata, Rs 14.32 lakh in money, 48 cellphones, a finger print scanner, 440 passport images of various individuals, 394 photocopies of voter playing cards, 11 QR code boards, 108 buyer software types, one laptop computer, and different articles from the accused.