Thane: Crime Branch Arrests Two Cops for Selling Sensitive Mobile Data to History-Sheeter

Two police constables from the Cyber Police Station in Thane City have been terminated from service and arrested for misusing their official positions to steal mobile phone data, including call detail records (CDR), subscriber detail records (SDR), and location information, which they then sold for personal financial gain. The officers, identified as Police Constable Akash Sopan Surve and Police Constable Harshad Laxman Parab, allegedly sold the stolen data to Mohammed Sohel Rajput, a known criminal who has also been arrested in connection with the case.

The Thane Police Commissioner took serious note of the matter and ordered strict legal action against the officers involved. Both constables were officially dismissed from service on May 3, 2025. A case was registered on May 5, 2025, at the Cyber Police Station in Thane under case number 3/2025, with charges filed under sections 303(2), 314, and 316(5) of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita along with sections 46, 66, and 72 of the Information Technology Act.

The three accused—Akash Sopan Surve (36), residing in Kopar Khairane, Navi Mumbai; Harshad Laxman Parab (31), from Kalwa, Thane; and Mohammed Sohel Mohammed Shabbir Rajput (28), from Rabodi, Thane—were arrested at 9:55 PM on May 5, 2025. The court has remanded them to police custody until May 11, 2025, as investigations continue.

The Crime Branch Unit-1 of Thane is currently conducting further investigation into the case, which represents a significant breach of police authority and data privacy laws.