Mumbai Police Crime Branch Unit 5 has arrested three men for allegedly supplying mule bank accounts and SIM cards to an extensive cyber-fraud network suspected of handling transactions worth approximately ₹350 crore. The accused individuals, identified as Islamuddin Salimuddin Sheikh, Yasir Nasiruddin Sheikh, and Abdul Razzaq Abdul Rauf, were taken into custody and subsequently produced before the Esplanade court, which remanded them to police custody until September 19.
The arrests expose the structured logistics underpinning modern financial crime syndicates, where low-level operatives procure banking instruments and cellular credentials to mask illicit proceeds. Investigators uncovered a massive trove of operational hardware during subsequent searches, revealing how digital scam networks systematically acquire infrastructure to evade detection and siphon funds across multiple jurisdictions.
Structure and Scale of the Alleged Syndicate
The operation allegedly functioned through a tiered hierarchy where recruiters obtained bank accounts and communication links from vulnerable individuals, such as local cab drivers, before passing them up to higher-level operators. Investigators noted that the accused acted as both buyers and sellers within this intermediary chain, taking full control of banking passbooks, cheque books, and ATM cards to facilitate online fraud.
Police seizures from the suspects revealed significant operational depth, including 88 bank passbooks, 143 cheque books, 100 ATM cards, 24 mobile phones, 167 SIM cards, and two laptops alongside other incriminating documents. Technical analysis conducted by the Crime Branch further indicated that the network had collectively utilised a staggering 2,898 SIM cards to execute cyber-fraud activities across various online platforms.
Financial Traces and Helpline Interventions
The breakthrough in the case originated from vigilance data gathered through the national 1930 cybercrime helpline, which has operated around the clock to assist victims of digital fraud. Investigators identified 32 distinct complaints logged against the bank accounts linked to the arrested suspects, prompting a detailed forensic examination of the financial flows.
Preliminary analysis of just 10 specific accounts traced transactions amounting to ₹24 crore, while broader estimates across the entire suspected syndicate suggest transactions could scale up to ₹350 crore. Particular accounts under scrutiny exhibited high-velocity transactions, with one single account alone recording movements of ₹6.98 crore over a three-month period between May and August.
Judicial Custody and Legal Provisions
Following their arrest on September 11, the three men were presented before the Esplanade court by the Mumbai Crime Branch. The presiding judicial authority reviewed the initial remand application and granted police custody for the accused through September 19 to facilitate further interrogation and evidence recovery.
A formal criminal case has been registered at the Malad Police Station under multiple statutory provisions. The charges include sections 318(4), 61, 45, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, alongside section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, addressing offences related to cheating, criminal conspiracy, and identity theft through communication devices.
Broader Crackdown on Mule Accounts
This high-profile crackdown coincides with a broader enforcement drive by Mumbai Police targeting interconnected financial mule networks operating throughout the metropolitan region. Recent operations by municipal and regional divisions have exposed similar syndicates, including an interstate racket busted by Dongri police involving 17 accounts linked to 38 complaints and transactions worth ₹25.45 crore.
In another recent enforcement action, the West Cyber Police arrested seven individuals tied to a digital-arrest scam, seizing 613 SIM cards alongside laptops and banking documents. Statistics released by law enforcement show that over a recent two-month window, Mumbai Police dealt with 24,860 cyber-fraud grievances, successfully blocking ₹18.27 crore and facilitating the return of ₹3.97 crore to 6,096 victims.
Investigators are currently examining the financial and technical audit trails to identify ultimate beneficiaries, trace downstream money transfers, and establish the full extent of the wider conspiracy. Authorities have reiterated public warnings urging citizens never to hand over personal banking credentials or SIM cards to third parties in exchange for monetary commission.
