Bandra Man Arrested on Linking Road for Selling Pre-Activated SIM Cards

Khar police on Tuesday arrested a 38-year-old Bandra resident, Iman Abdul Jabbar Shaikh, for allegedly selling activated SIM cards registered in other individuals' names without requiring identity documents or KYC verification. The operation was carried out along Linking Road in Khar West following a tip-off received by the police.

According to the complaint filed in the matter, Sub-inspector Atul Murdare received a tip-off on September 1 stating that a man was selling SIM cards without proper documentation on Linking Road. Murdare informed Senior Inspector Santosh Kate regarding the information before the police team initiated a decoy operation.

To catch the suspect in the act, police dispatched a decoy customer to approach Shaikh and request a new SIM card, specifically telling him that he did not possess an Aadhaar card. The decoy customer allegedly bought two activated SIM cards from Shaikh for Rs 4,000, paying Rs 2,000 for each card without submitting any personal identification or KYC paperwork.

Police arranged eight Rs 500 currency notes drawn from secret operational funds to execute the transaction. Immediately after the deal was completed, the police apprehended Shaikh and recovered the designated currency notes from his possession.

During the search, personnel seized at least 39 SIM cards along with a mobile phone from the accused. Investigators noted that the alleged sale of SIM cards registered under third-party identities violates Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regulations as well as provisions of the Telecom Act, 2023.

Investigators are currently examining how many SIM cards Shaikh had previously distributed and whether any of the cards were acquired by anti-social elements. The police are also probing whether cyber fraudsters utilized SIM cards sold by him to establish mule bank accounts.