In a meticulously coordinated operation, the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested five men from Assam’s Morigaon district for masterminding a Rs1.27 crore credit card scam targeting global banking major HSBC.
The arrested suspects are:
Mohebur Abdul Rahman (28)
Sadiqul Islam (27)
Ilyas Rafiqul Islam (25)
Abu Bakr Siddique Ramzan Ali (37)
Mohimuddin Ahmed Abdul Malik (26)
All five are residents of Morigaon, a district that has emerged as a new hub for cybercrime activity in India.
The investigation revealed that the gang exploited digital loopholes and identity fraud to fraudulently obtain 55 credit cards from HSBC, using forged PAN, Aadhaar, and bank documents. The scam unfolded over four months between February and June 2024, during which the group:
Identified individuals with high CIBIL scores
Created fake Aadhaar cards via a now-busted Aadhaar center in Morigaon
Rented temporary accommodations in Mumbai to receive the credit cards
Conducted lavish spending and discreet fund transfers, then vanished
Inspector Sadanand Yerekar from Crime Branch Unit 3 stated that once the cards were obtained, the group went on a planned spending spree, draining credit limits before fleeing Mumbai.
The original FIR was lodged at Azad Maidan Police Station in 2023, based on a complaint from an HSBC employee. A follow-up probe by Unit 3 connected the dots using banking forensics, mobile tracking, and CCTV surveillance, eventually leading investigators to Assam.
According to DCP Datta Nalawade, the Crime Branch team coordinated with Laharighat police in Morigaon to arrest the five men, using a strong evidentiary base including fake IDs, bank statements, and mobile data.
Authorities suspect the arrested individuals are part of a wider interstate syndicate operating across 15–20 villages in Morigaon. Alarmingly, over 200 people have been arrested in the district over the past four months in connection with similar financial frauds, suggesting the presence of a well-networked cybercrime ecosystem.
