Crores defrauded from telecom firms and the government; an illegal exchange setup linked to a Kerala-based duo and hawala funding
Bengaluru: In a major breakthrough, the CCB Cyber Crime Police have arrested two individuals in Immadihalli near Whitefield for operating a sophisticated SIM card scam that involved illegally converting international calls into local calls, defrauding telecom companies and the Indian government of crores of rupees.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mohammed Safpop and Fayyaz, both residents of Kerala, who had secretly set up a telephone exchange in a residential property. Using SIM boxes, routers, and a network of over 700 SIM cards, the duo lured poor Indian migrant workers abroad to route calls cheaply to their families in India.
Modus Operandi: International to Local Call Conversion
The scam involved acquiring registrations and SIM cards, setting up a VoIP-based exchange, and charging low fees to migrant workers for international calls. However, instead of routing calls legally, the accused converted them into local calls, resulting in huge losses to telecom service providers and evading international calling tariffs.
“The illegal exchange setup was operated with 702 SIM cards, 9 SIM boxes, 6 routers, laptops, and mobile phones, all of which have been seized,” a senior CCB official confirmed.
Hawala Angle: ₹4-5 Lakh Transferred Monthly
Investigations have revealed that the accused were receiving hawala payments amounting to ₹4-5 lakh per month, a part of the illegal earnings from call conversions. The police suspect a wider network operating across states and overseas, and further interrogation is underway.
Repeat Offence: Bengaluru Sees Rise in SIM Card & VoIP Frauds
This is not the first such incident. Earlier, similar illegal call conversion setups were found in Bengaluru, resulting in multiple arrests by CCB. These crimes, authorities say, are part of a larger pattern involving cyber and telecom frauds.
Fake Legal Service Racket Also Busted in Bengaluru
In a separate investigation, CCB has also cracked down on a fake online legal service racket that duped victims of previous cyber frauds. A resident of Ramamurthy Nagar was cheated of ₹1.5 crore on the pretext of installing a solar plant. When he later searched for legal help online, he was further defrauded of ₹12.5 lakh by a fake entity named Quickmoto Legal Service.
The CCB’s probe found that a fake company named India Legal Service had been set up in Kasturi Nagar, operating with 12 hired telecallers. Victims were contacted via Zoiper-5, a VoIP application, and promised legal aid but were instead duped again.
“The prime accused, Toful Mohammed, had created a fake legal firm and used cyber tools to target earlier fraud victims. His brother, based in Dubai, also ran a fake firm involved in similar crimes,” said a CCB official.
What’s Next:
The CCB Cyber Crime Police have arrested Toful Mohammed and are expanding their investigation into possible international linkages, including the Dubai-based fake company operated by his brother. Authorities are also working to trace the flow of hawala money and digital trails used in the SIM card and legal service scams.
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