SIM hijacked, ₹3.24 lakh vanishes

Lokmat News Network Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Fraudsters blocked a businessman’s SIM card and drained Rs 3.24 lakh from his account without him even realizing it. Unlike typical phishing traps, this attack bypassed user involvement entirely. Adding to the shock, cyber police took nine months just to file an FIR at Kranti Chowk police station.

The victim, Rakesh Guralle, a businessman dealing in sportswear manufacturing, received a call from an unknown person a few months ago. The caller, speaking in Hindi, claimed that a new credit card had been issued in his name and requested his PAN details. Rakesh ignored the call. The next day, as he was leaving for Kedarnath, his SIM card suddenly stopped working. After reaching Delhi, he obtained a new SIM card with the same number. Moments later, he noticed that Rs 99,999 had been withdrawn from his business bank account. He immediately reported the fraud via the 1930 helpline. Despite his UPI ID being blocked, further transactions continued, and over the next few days, Rs 1.64 lakh was transferred to an account belonging to one Vishwajit Mandal.

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No clarity on the cause

The telecom company cited a "corrupt SIM" as the reason for the failure, but they did not explain how or why it happened. Rakesh lodged an online complaint in June 2024 at the Cyber Police Station. After six months of "investigation," cyber police forwarded the case to Kranti Chowk police station but failed to provide clear details on how the fraud occurred. With no leads or explanations, the case highlights the growing sophistication of cybercrime and raises concerns about the effectiveness of law enforcement in tackling such frauds.