City police bust fraudsters operating from Bengaluru

A few people from Bengaluru, whose children are pursuing degrees at a deemed university in Valasaravakkam, recently received calls informing them that their college fee was due. They were asked to deposit money amounting to lakhs to a particular bank account.

Confused by this, the parents reached the college and realised that the calls were not made by the college administration. Later, a complaint was lodged at the Royala Nagar police station and a special team was formed to crack the case.

The call records of the phone numbers showed that the SIM cards, which were bought in Bengaluru, became defunct after a few calls were made. 

The persons under whose names the SIM cards had been bought told the police that they never bought them. 

As all the SIM cards had been issued by BSNL, the police team approached the telecom. That was when it was found out that all the SIM cards were through one agent named K Senthil Kumar (42) of Bangarapet in Kolar district.

He was soon secured. Investigations revealed that he had used the documents submitted by SIM card applicants to register another SIM card in their names. 

“He would then distribute the cards to his friends, who would make calls to various people. They seem to have cheated several persons in Karnataka using this modus operandi,” the police said.

Based on Senthil’s inputs, his accomplices Shiek Ahmed (27) of Robersonpet, and Mohammed Sadiq (42) and A Abdul Lathief (54) of Kerala were secured and remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday. Two more members — Naushad and Shabeer — are absconding.