The Juhu Police have arrested a cyber fraudster who allegedly attempted to activate late NCP leader and former MLA Baba Siddique’s mobile number on a different SIM card after his death. Investigations have revealed that the accused, Vivek Sabharwal, had earlier also taken control of a mobile number belonging to the wife of another deceased Member of Parliament. Following a complaint filed by the woman’s brother-in-law, Sabharwal was recently arrested by the Juhu Police.
Sources said Sabharwal had a modus operandi of acquiring mobile numbers of deceased affluent individuals, activating them on new SIM cards, and attempting to withdraw money from linked bank accounts. So far, he has been booked in at least 10 cybercrime cases in Mumbai and Delhi.
According to the police, Sabharwal had previously taken control of the mobile number of a woman residing in Juhu. He fraudulently impersonated the son of a deceased MP and got the mobile number reissued in his own name using forged documents, a fake email address, and an alternative mobile number. This led to the woman’s number being deactivated, which she noticed and promptly informed her brother-in-law — a prominent pharmaceutical company owner — who then filed a complaint with the Juhu Police. Based on this, an FIR was registered on 9th July.
Though the accused was earlier granted bail in this case, fresh evidence linked him to the same pattern of fraud involving Baba Siddique’s phone, leading to his re-arrest. Sources confirmed he has been remanded to police custody. Among the 10 cyber cases registered against him across the country, four are from Mumbai and another four from Delhi.
In the earlier case, Sabharwal attempted to fraudulently acquire the mobile number of late Baba Siddique, which the family had deliberately kept active as it was linked to business ventures. His daughter, Dr. Arshia Siddique (35), runs a restaurant named ‘Flavour Food Venture’, while his wife Shehzeen Siddique operates a real estate firm called ‘Ziers Business India LLP’.
The accused had sent an email in Shehzeen Siddique’s name to obtain authorization to reissue Baba Siddique’s mobile number. The email contained forged documents, including Shehzeen’s Aadhaar, PAN, GST number, and the company’s letterhead. This triggered suspicion among the family, who then lodged a complaint at the Bandra Police Station. Sabharwal was later arrested from Delhi in connection with this case.
Authorities are now probing further into Sabharwal’s involvement in a wider cybercrime network targeting mobile numbers of deceased high-profile individuals for financial fraud.