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Gold teeth grills to luxury holidays: How UK man splurged after ₹2.5 crore crypto theft
The police described the case as a complex and calculated fraud that caused significant financial harm to multiple victims.
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A 25-year-old man in the UK who helped steal nearly £200,000 (around ₹2.5 crore) worth of cryptocurrency through SIM-swapping fraud has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison. Ajay Shinjin, also known as AJ Marley Cruz, received more than £44,000 (around ₹56 lakh) of the stolen money, which he spent on luxury holidays in Dubai, a high-end apartment in London’s Canary Wharf and gold-plated teeth grills, according to a press release by City of London Police.
Shinjin was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on Thursday, October 8, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and transferring criminal property on September 28.
According to the press note, the case dates back to November 2021, when telecommunications company BT detected unauthorised activity on its systems. Investigators found that customers’ phone numbers had been transferred to SIM cards controlled by criminals, allowing them to access victims’ cryptocurrency accounts and steal their funds.
How did the SIM-swapping fraud work?
SIM swapping is a form of fraud in which criminals transfer a victim’s phone number to a SIM card or device under their control. Once they gain control of the number, they can receive one-time passwords (OTPs) sent through text messages and use them to access accounts protected by SMS-based authentication.
In this case, BT identified unauthorised activity affecting customers during the first week of November 2021. The company’s investigation identified devices used to receive transferred phone numbers. The devices were eSIM-enabled and had two IMEI numbers. Data provided by BT helped investigators identify several suspects, including Shinjin, who was linked to four devices used in SIM-swapping incidents.
Police identified four victims whose cryptocurrency holdings were stolen during the period.
One victim lost approximately £40,000 worth of cryptocurrency on November 2, 2021, of which around £27,000 was transferred to Shinjin’s personal cryptocurrency account.
A second victim had approximately £17,000 worth of cryptocurrency stolen between November 5 and 7. The entire amount was subsequently traced to Shinjin’s personal crypto wallet.
In another incident, approximately £8,000 was taken from a victim’s Coinbase account on November 3. Shinjin facilitated the theft, with the money subsequently transferred elsewhere.
A fourth victim lost approximately £130,000 worth of cryptocurrency between November 6 and 7. Police said Shinjin also facilitated this theft.
Man arrested twice before being jailed
Shinjin was first arrested at his flat in 2021. He was arrested again at Heathrow Airport in October 2023 after returning from Dubai, following the emergence of further evidence.
He was subsequently charged with conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and transferring criminal property. He pleaded guilty to both offences at Inner London Crown Court on September 28, 2026. He was sentenced to two and a half years’ imprisonment on Thursday.
Detective Constable Simon Ardeman of the City of London Police described the case as a complex and calculated fraud that caused significant financial harm to multiple victims.
“By deliberately exploiting SIM-swap technology, Shinjin was able to gain access to cryptocurrency accounts and steal nearly £200,000 from multiple victims’ accounts,” Ardeman said.
“SIM-swap fraud is a sophisticated and increasingly concerning form of offending, and this case demonstrates the devastating consequences it can have for victims. This conviction sends a clear message that those who use technology to commit fraud will be brought to justice,” he added.
