In a fresh twist following the sensational murder of former NCP MLA Baba Siddique, Mumbai Police have detained a man from Delhi for attempting to misuse Siddique’s mobile number for cyber fraud. The accused, identified as Vivek Sabrawal, was taken into custody from the Burari area of Delhi and brought to Mumbai after it was discovered that he tried to reactivate Siddique’s mobile number on a new SIM card.
The accused has a history of cybercrime cases registered against him and was previously out on bail in one such matter. Police officials revealed that Sabrawal’s intention behind activating the number was to use it in fraudulent activities. The mobile number in question has been kept active by the Siddique family in memory of the late leader and is linked to the family’s ongoing businesses, including Dr. Arshiya Siddique’s restaurant venture ‘Flavour Food Venture’ and his wife Shehzeen Siddique’s real estate firm ‘Zears Business India LLP’.
The matter came to light on June 24, when an email—allegedly sent in the name of Shehzeen Siddique—was received by the telecom company. The email sought official authorisation to activate the number and was accompanied by identity documents, including Aadhaar, PAN, GST details, and a forged letterhead of the family’s business. The email also included Dr. Arshiya Siddique in the CC, which alerted the family to the possibility of fraud.
Upon verification, the family realised that the documents were fake and someone was attempting to misuse Baba Siddique’s identity. Following this, Dr. Arshiya approached the Bandra Police Station and lodged a formal complaint. Investigations led the police to Delhi, where the accused was detained on Sunday and subsequently brought to Mumbai.
Police have registered a case under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those pertaining to cheating, attempt to commit a punishable offence, forgery of documents, fabrication of records, and using forged electronic records as genuine. Officials confirmed that Sabrawal already has two cybercrime cases pending against him in Mumbai courts—one at Esplanade Court and another at Borivali Court.
It may be recalled that Baba Siddique was shot dead in October 2024 in a case that had rocked Maharashtra’s political landscape. This latest attempt to exploit his digital identity for financial fraud has raised new concerns about posthumous data misuse and cyber security vulnerabilities involving high-profile individuals.