BHUBANESWAR: The menace of cybercriminals deploying pre-activated SIM cards to collect huge sums of money in the name of prominent persons blew up in the national scene with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday taking to Twitter to caution people about fake WhatsApp accounts created in his name using three different mobile numbers. Out of the three, sources said, one is registered in Odisha.
The cyber thugs had sent messages to MPs and others seeking money using the numbers which carried the Speaker’s image. “Some miscreants have created fake accounts in my name and with my profile photo. They are sending messages to MPs and others. The matter has been reported to authorities concerned. Please ignore calls/messages from other numbers and inform my office,” he tweeted from the Lok Sabha Speaker handle.
The Crime Branch of Odisha Police which is probing into the matter and arrested three persons dug deep and found that two pre-activated mobile phone numbers sold by prime accused Dushmanta Sahu were reportedly used by cyber fraudsters to open fake WhatsApp accounts of the Lok Sabha Speaker. The cybercriminals impersonated as Birla, used his photographs on fake WhatsApp accounts and requested for money from other MPs.
The agency sleuths had blocked both the mobile phone numbers after receiving a tip-off from Delhi Police regarding their location and arrested the three accused on May 1.
Speaker warns people over SIM card fraud
Crime Branch has seized 19,641 pre-activated SIM cards from Sahu and two other accused - Sai Prakash Das of Dhenkanal town, who owns a mobile shop, and Avinash Nayak of Meena Bazar. The agency has summoned the Dhenkanal area manager of Jio and Vodafone Bhubaneswar’s commercial manager for questioning as hundreds of pre-activated SIM cards were seized from the accused.
They have also asked Dhenkanal BSNL’s general manager to appear before them for interrogation. “Sahu never sold the SIM cards physically to cybercriminals. He just messaged the pre-activated numbers to them.
In the last two years, about Rs 30 lakh was deposited in his two Paytm accounts,” said Crime Branch ADG, Sanjeeb Panda. SPs have been directed to carry out raids at shops found to be selling pre-activated SIM cards. Investigation will be carried out regarding other members of the buyer-seller of OTP group on Facebook which Sahu had earlier joined.