HYDERABAD: The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has arrested five cyber criminals linked to a Cambodia-based syndicate that allegedly defrauded Indian citizens of crores through phishing, identity theft and impersonation. The arrests followed the interception of a man carrying 198 SIM cards at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday.
The accused are Rizwan (Uttar Pradesh), Syed Ashraf Ali, Syed Sohail, Ateeq Ahmed and Nune Ashok (Karimnagar). Police said Ashraf was intercepted at RGIA while attempting to carry 198 SIM cards to Cambodia on Rizwan’s instructions and was handed over to TGCSB.
During questioning, Ashraf revealed an organised network with a mastermind operating from Cambodia. Rizwan allegedly coordinated SIM procurement through local agents who obtained connections using fabricated documents. Police said more than 600 SIM cards have been illegally transported since 2023 in six instances.
Ashraf had travelled to Dubai in 2023, where he befriended Rizwan while working in a hotel; Rizwan was employed at a gaming call centre. Lured by financial incentives, Ashraf began procuring SIM cards, which were used for cyber crimes such as phishing, impersonation and extortion.
The supply chain involved local Point of Sale (POS) agents operating on commission. Sohail, a Jio promoter with an Airtel POS, along with Ateeq and Ashok, who run Airtel POS centres, allegedly procured and supplied over 600 active SIM cards for financial fraud.
Another accused, Arvind Kumar alias Shahid, who acted as a courier for the network, is absconding. Efforts are under way to trace him and other operatives, including those abroad. Investigation is continuing.