Mumbai Mumbai Police's Western Zone Cyber Police has busted an international gang that was providing Indian WhatsApp numbers to foreign cyber fraudsters through 'OTP farming'. Police have arrested three accused in the case. 669 active SIM cards, 100 mobile phones and other items used in cyber crimes have been recovered from their possession.
The arrested accused have been identified as Pramod Kumar alias Bipin, Dharmendra Gupta and Rajiv Kumar Gupta. According to the police, the gang was connected to cyber criminals based in Cambodia. These foreign fraudsters allegedly made Indian citizens victims of fraud in the name of investing in the stock market.
Case opened due to fraud of Rs 22.30 lakh
According to the police, this network was discovered during the investigation of alleged cyber fraud of Rs 22.30 lakh from a person. The accused had contacted the victim through WhatsApp, posing as representatives of a reputed investment company. After this, he was prepared to invest by luring him with higher returns.
During investigation, the police found out that an entire supply chain of Indian SIM cards was working behind the WhatsApp numbers used in this fraud.
Used to activate SIM without people's knowledge
According to the police officer, Rajeev Gupta, who was involved in the gang, was a Point of Sale (POS) agent. It is alleged that he used to activate SIM cards by using people's documents without their knowledge.
After this, these SIM cards were delivered to Pramod Kumar through Dharmendra Gupta for commission. In this way, Indian mobile numbers were arranged, which were further used by foreign cyber criminals.
Used to run OTP farming by inserting SIM in keypad phone
According to the police, Pramod Kumar used to do 'OTP farming' by inserting these SIM cards in ordinary keypad mobile phones. The OTP received for verification of Indian WhatsApp accounts was allegedly made available to cyber criminals based in Cambodia through Telegram.
In return, it has come to light that payment in cryptocurrency equivalent to US $ 13 per OTP will be made. Foreign cyber criminals used these Indian WhatsApp numbers to contact potential victims and trap them.
Fraud money used to reach rented bank accounts
The investigation also revealed that the money obtained through fraud was sent to such bank accounts which were allegedly taken on rent. These accounts were used for movement of money.
The police are now investigating the role of other people associated with this network and cyber criminals sitting abroad. Also, other people who may have been victims of this gang's activities are being traced.
Major recovery including 91 keypad phones
Cyber police of Mumbai Crime Branch have recovered 91 keypad mobile phones, nine smartphones and 669 active SIM cards from the accused. Apart from this, a CPU, Wi-Fi router, fingerprint scanner and other items have also been seized.
Police say that based on examination of the recovered devices and SIM cards, more information is being gathered about the gang's network, transactions and possible victims.