n a significant crackdown on cyber fraud, the city police arrested two individuals, Shamadh Muhammad Samar (26) and Muhammad Azeem (19), for allegedly collecting SIM cards on behalf of foreign cybercriminals. The police seized 86 Airtel SIM cards, two mobile phones, a Swift car, and assets valued at Rs5,49,300 during the operation.
Both arrested individuals, hailing from Beltangady, were reportedly procuring SIM cards by offering small amounts of money to friends and acquaintances, under the direction of two accomplices named Mustafa and Sajid. Shamadh is a BBA student residing in Mangaluru, while Azeem also lived in a rented house in the city.
Since January, the duo collected and sent between 400 to 500 SIM cards abroad, purchasing them for ₹200 to ₹300 each. The motivation behind acquiring Indian SIM cards is that cybercriminals in Dubai and other countries can more easily defraud Indian citizens using them, as they help establish trust with potential victims.
This arrest follows a previous incident in February, where Dharmasthala police apprehended five individuals and seized 42 SIM cards. Authorities are investigating possible connections between the two arrested in Mangaluru and those involved in the earlier case, as they seek to unravel the broader network of this cyber fraud operation.