Panvel police arrested three men for running a phishing scam since the past two years by conning debit card and credit card holders outside India and making online purchases from their accounts.
The three accused, identified as Mudassir Shaikh, 38; Rafiq Ansari, 58; and Salman Ansari, 27, were arrested on Tuesday from Mumbai. Shaikh worked with Rafiq who is into selling used cars while Ansari is an electrician.
Apart from buying goods, the accused also used the stolen cards to pay for food they ordered online as well as hotel stays, said police.
The racket was unearthed when Panvel police was investigating a cybercrime wherein a Panvel welder lost ₹1 lakh in a debit card scam in June. Police sources said that during technical analysis and tracing IP addresses of suspects in the case, police found a lead in Mumbai.
“During interrogation, we learnt of the involvement of three accused in other similar cyber frauds. The accused used stolen debit card and credit details to target people, mostly those residing outside India. They have been running the racket since March 2019. Using the cards, they would make purchases through online e-commerce websites,” said a police officer requesting anonymity.
Based on preliminary investigation, police estimate they have duped scores of victims of ₹2.5 lakh and the figure is likely to rise as officials continue digging into previous purchases made by the accused.
{{/usCountry}}Based on preliminary investigation, police estimate they have duped scores of victims of ₹2.5 lakh and the figure is likely to rise as officials continue digging into previous purchases made by the accused.
{{/usCountry}}Panvel city police took assistance of the Mumbai Police’s crime branch and local police stations to trace Shaikh and his accomplices. It was ascertained that all three men were staying in Kurla, from where they were taken into custody on Tuesday.
“We have arrested three persons but cannot reveal any further information at this stage as the case is still ongoing. We are on the lookout for more wanted accused,” said Ajaykumar Landge, senior inspector at Panvel city police station.
Police said they are probing the involvement of the accused in the welder’s case, which the arrested accused have allegedly denied. Police are on the lookout for past accomplices of the arrested accused.