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Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Indian Express
Bengaluru police bust racket converting international calls to local calls in IT corridor
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Bengaluru police said on Tuesday that it unearthed a racket where international calls were illegally routed as local calls, allegedly to enable cybercrimes. The investigation started after a representative of Vodafone Idea Limited filed a police complaint stating that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had alerted the telecom operator about an illegal SIM box operation suspected of cybercriminal activities. The police said they recovered six SIM boxes, 133 SIM cards, 12 data storage servers, one networking router/switch, and other related equipment, with the total value estimated at approximately Rs 10 lakh. Preliminary investigations suggest that the seized SIM cards were actively used in various cybercrimes, they added. A SIM box is a specialised device containing multiple SIM cards designed to route international calls back into domestic networks, disguising them as local calls. This practice not only compromises national security but also causes significant financial losses to both government revenues and legitimate telecom operators. According to a police officer, the DoT's investigation traced the suspicious activity to the International Tech Park in Bengaluru's Whitefield area. The central department's analysis revealed that 107 mobile numbers issued by Vodafone Idea Limited were suspected of being used in these illegal SIM box operations. The CCB's internal verification discovered that all 107 SIM cards had been issued to Gleam Global Services India Private Limited, a company that allegedly served as a front for an elaborate fraud. Seemant Kumar Singh, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, urged data centre owners to conduct thorough background verification before renting facilities. 'In this case, the owners had no clue about the misuse,' he said. An engineer previously arrested in Bengaluru for allegedly defrauding cybercrime victims by offering fictitious legal assistance online has confessed to his role in installing the SIM box infrastructure at Iron Mountain Data Centre in Whitefield, according to the police. The arrested engineer, Chota Ahammed Mubaraq, also known as Tufail, has revealed that two conspirators, currently abroad, were directing his activities remotely, the police added. A CCB officer said the police would take steps to issue lookout circulars for Tufail's overseas accomplices. Tufail, a BE graduate, is originally from Tamil Nadu but was residing in Kothanur, Bengaluru, the police said.
Time of India
05-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Double scam: Fake law firm defrauds Bengaluru bizman trying to recover Rs 1.5 crore lost to cybercrooks; 1 held
BENGALURU: A city businessman looking to install solar plants recently fell prey to cybercriminals, not once but twice. Believing the claims of an online group, he initially transferred Rs 1.5 crore and then, in his desperate bid to recover it, lost an additional Rs 12.5 lakh to another gang of scamsters. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In Feb, he had transferred Rs 1.5 crore in different instalments to an online group after he came across their offer of installing solar plants. He tried to get legal aid after realising he was conned. After searching online, he found a firm, Quickmoto Legal Service, and the representatives promised help to get back his lost money. For this, they made him shell out Rs 12.5 lakh. It was only later he discovered that he was taken for a ride again. Following a complaint, police swung into action and Sunday, arrested the prime accused who was involved in setting up a fake legal assistance office at Kasturinagar, east Bengaluru. Tufail Ahmed alias Chota Ahmed Mubarak, 27, a resident of Kothanur in Tamil Nadu, has an engineering degree in electronics and communication. Tufail's elder brother, who is based in Dubai, is the kingpin of the racket. "We found that Quickmoto Legal Service had no office in the city. The accused was running a call centre, under the name India Legal Service, in a house in Kasturinagar. Several tele-callers were employed at Kasturinagar, using a communication platform called Zoiper-5 to contact victims via VoIP calls. Tufail's elder brother conspired with others to establish multiple fake companies under different names to facilitate online scams," an officer said. The tele-callers assured victims of recovering their lost money and collected payments by online mode, thereby cheating unsuspecting victims, the officer said, adding, "Soon, we'll arrest some tele-callers, as there're also aware of the scam." Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said the businessman had filed a complaint in the cybercrime portal. Central Crime Branch sleuths, led by joint commissioner of police (crime) Ajay Hilori and deputy commissioner of police Raja Imam Kasim led the investigation.
Indian Express
04-08-2025
- Indian Express
Offering legal aid, Bengaluru engineer swindles Rs 12.5 lakh from cybercrime victim who had lost Rs 1.5 crore
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Bengaluru police on Monday announced the arrest of a 37-year-old engineer for allegedly defrauding a cybercrime victim who had already lost Rs 1.5 crore with fictitious legal assistance online. The police identified the arrested accused as Chota Ahammed Mubaraq, also known as Tufail, a BE in Electronics and Communication graduate who is originally from Tamil Nadu but was residing in Kothanur, Bengaluru. Seemant Kumar Singh, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, said the complaint in the case was filed at the Ramamurthy Nagar police station in February. 'The victim lost Rs 12.5 lakh while seeking legal help online after cybercriminals conned him out of Rs 1.5 crore,' he added. A search for help led the complainant to Quickmoto Legal Service, a fabricated company operated by Tufail, according to the police, who found that the company had no physical address. However, during the investigation, the police located India Legal Service, a call centre in Kasturi Nagar, Bengaluru, where Tufail had allegedly recruited 12 telecallers to contact cybercrime victims. They allegedly used Zoiper-5, a free Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application, to conceal their location from law enforcement. The operation was designed to target vulnerable individuals already victimised by cybercrimes. 'Tufail has a brother in Dubai who created multiple companies for cybercrime activities. Tufail exploited cybercrime victims by charging bogus service fees and legal charges,' a police officer said. The police said that during raids at the call centre, they seized substantial evidence including 10 hard disks, seven counterfeit company seals, rent agreements, cheque books, documents, a mobile phone, a CPU, 11 Vodafone SIM cards, and an SIP (session initiation protocol) trunk server facilitating VoIP communications. The police said that 29 cases had been registered against the firm across the country over illegal transactions worth crores of rupees. 'The probe is now being expanded to trace and dismantle the larger syndicate,' an investigating officer stated.
Time of India
04-08-2025
- Time of India
Fake legal firm cons businessman trying to recover Rs 1.5 crore lost to cybercrooks; 1 held
Bengaluru: A city businessman looking to install solar plants recently fell prey to cybercriminals, not once but twice. Believing the claims of an online group, he initially transferred Rs 1.5 crore and then, in his desperate bid to recover it, lost an additional Rs 12.5 lakh to another gang of scamsters. In Feb, he had transferred Rs 1.5 crore in different instalments to an online group after he came across their offer of installing solar plants. He tried to get legal aid after realising he was conned. After searching online, he found a firm, 'Quickmoto Legal Service', and the representatives promised help to get back his lost money. For this, they made him shell out Rs 12.5 lakh. It was only later he discovered that he was taken for a ride again. Following a complaint, police swung into action and on Sunday, arrested the prime accused who was involved in setting up a fake legal assistance office at Kasturi Nagar. Tufail Ahmed alias Chota Ahmed Mubarak, 27, a resident of Kothanur in Tamil Nadu, has an engineering degree in electronics and communication. Tufail's elder brother, who is based in Dubai, is the kingpin of the racket. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru "We found that 'Quickmoto Legal Service' had no office in the city. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Access all TV channels anywhere, anytime Techno Mag Learn More Undo The accused was running a call centre, under the name India Legal Service, in a house in Kasturi Nagar. Several tele-callers were employed at Kasturi Nagar, using a communication platform called Zoiper-5 to contact victims via VoIP calls. Tufail's elder brother conspired with others to establish multiple fake companies under different names to facilitate online scams," an officer said. The tele-callers assured victims of recovering their lost money and collected payments by online mode, thereby cheating unsuspecting victims, the officer said, adding, "Soon, we'll arrest some tele-callers, as there're also aware of the scam." Police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said the businessman had filed a complaint in the cybercrime portal. Central crime branch sleuths, led by joint commissioner of police (crime) Ajay Hilori and deputy commissioner of police Raja Imam Kasim led the investigation.
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Time of India
Family held hostage in Darbhanga village, jewellery worth Rs 10 lakh looted
Patna: A group of armed criminals broke into a house at Belahi village under Chotaipatti panchayat in Darbhanga district late on Saturday night and escaped with jewellery worth about Rs 10 lakh and Rs 8,500 in cash. The criminals tied the hands and legs of the houseowner's grandson and forced the women to remove their jewellery. Following the incident, a special investigation team (SIT) was formed by Darbhanga SSP, Jagunath Raddi, on Sunday to probe the incident. "We have formed special teams for investigation, and some suspects have been identified through technical surveillance. We are working with local residents to gather information. Some evidence has been collected from the crime spot, and arrests will be made soon," stated the SSP. The incident occurred at the house of one Mohammad Tufail Ahmad, a resident of Belahi village under Sadar police station area. According to the complaint filed at the police station, the family was asleep when they heard a knock at the door around 1am. When Tufail inquired about the visitors, the criminals forcibly broke in, threatening the family and physically assaulting his daughter. The criminals spent about 30 minutes breaking into a locked room while positioning themselves strategically around the house. They tied Tufail's grandson and forced the women to remove their jewellery. "They took everything, including Rs 8,500 kept for household expenses. They took the jewellery belonging to my wife, daughter and daughter-in-law," said Tufail. The SSP visited Tufail's house. The local mukhiya, Pappu, confirmed the incident. "The police are investigating the incident from different angles to solve the case and prevent such incidents in the future," added the SSP.
