BTM Layout resident cheated of Rs 7.17 lakh in SIM-swap fraud
A 27-year-old distributor residing in BTM Layout II Stage, Bengaluru, was defrauded of Rs 7,17,660 after cybercriminals allegedly deactivated his mobile number through an unauthorized SIM-swap and siphoned money from his bank accounts. The fraudulent transactions occurred over a three-day period between May 27 and May 29.
The victim, Kamlesh Kumar, a native of Bihar, had been using his mobile number, 8971923161, for the past 10 years. On May 25, he discovered that his mobile network connection had suddenly been deactivated.
The following day, on May 26, Kumar visited an Airtel store to investigate the issue. Store representatives informed him that his mobile number had been ported to the Jio network. Kumar stated that this porting process was executed entirely without his consent or knowledge.
To find out more, Kumar visited a Jio store. Staff there reportedly revealed that the ownership of his SIM card had been transferred to an individual named Shahbach Ansari. Kumar told police he has no connection to Ansari and does not know who he is.
On May 27, Kumar filed a lost report at the MICO Layout police station. Despite this, the fraudsters managed to gain access to his banking credentials using the swapped SIM card.
Between May 27 and May 29, the perpetrators carried out multiple unauthorized transactions. They transferred funds from Kumar's overdraft account to his savings and current accounts, and subsequently routed the money to unknown external accounts. In total, the fraudsters stole Rs 7,17,660. They also changed his linked banking email address to [email protected] without his authorization.
Kumar, who relies on the number for his distribution business, expressed frustration over the security lapse. He questioned how service providers could be negligent enough to allot his active number to someone else. He noted that neither service provider would share details regarding where the SIM was ported, which city it was being used in, or further details about Ansari.
Following the incident, the Southeast cybercrime police station registered a case. The investigation is being conducted under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, which deal with identity theft and cheating by personation, as well as Sections 318 and 319 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating and cheating by personation.
