Karimganj Police bust organised cyber crime syndicate, Arrest two suspects in connection with fradulent SIM card portation and bank fraud

In a significant breakthrough, the Karimganj Police, in collaboration with the Nagaon Police, apprehended two individuals, identified as Nazmin Sultana and Jamal Uddin, suspected to be part of an organised cyber crime syndicate operating across Assam. The arrests came following an extensive investigation into a case of fraudulent SIM card portation and bank fraud after an FIR was lodged by complainant Abdul Hamid, a retired teacher from Patharkandi, on September 20, 2023.

In his FIR application, Hamid stated that on July 22, 2023, an unknown person claiming to be a customer care employee called him and later visited his residence. Under the pretext of upgrading his SIM card, the fraudster tampered with his mobile phone. Shortly afterward,  Hamid’s SIM card became inactive, and a staggering amount of Rs 1.5 lakhs was siphoned from his bank account through an unknown UPI transaction.

Unbeknownst to Hamid, the fraudster had actually deactivated his SIM card and initiated SIM portation. Subsequently, the criminal obtained a new SIM card in Nagaon’s Kampur using Hamid’s old number and activated the UPI service, facilitating unauthorised transactions from the retired teacher’s bank account.

Upon receiving the FIR, Patharkandi Police collaborated with the Karimganj Police Cyber Cell to trace the fraudulent network. During investigation the location of the ported SIM card was traced, which ultimately unveiled the fortress of such deceitful dealings – the residence of a man named Jamal Uddin, a native of Nagaon district’s Simlai Pathar village.

In a meticulously planned operation, Karimganj Police, in coordination with the Nagaon Police, raided Jamal Uddin’s house, leading to a startling discovery. They recovered 44 ATM cards from various banks, four Aadhaar cards, passbooks from 24 different banks, Rs 54,700 in cash, a fingerprint scanning machine, numerous passport photographs, xerox copies of land records and 52 VI packets with no SIM cards, among other valuable documents.

Law enforcement agencies suspect that Nazmin Sultana and Jamal Uddin are part of a larger criminal syndicate involved in organised cyber crimes across the state. The arrests have raised hopes of uncovering additional accomplices to such hoodwinking trade and dismantling the network responsible for these fraudulent activities.