The record
Written from the 1 report below. Nothing here is unsourced.
- Mumbai's West Cyber Police have registered an FIR against a point-of-sale operator, Prathamesh Chorat, for allegedly selling mule or 'Ghost' SIM cards to cyber fraudsters.
- Police say he procured SIM cards in the names of several people using forged documents between January 2025 and May 2026.
- The fraudsters used these SIMs to contact citizens online, run scams like share market investment and digital arrest frauds, and move stolen money through bank accounts.
- The case came to light after police analysed complaints on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal and found the same SIMs were linked to fraud complaints in West Bengal, Pune and Mumbai.
What to watch next
- Investigation into the alleged organised cyber crime syndicate and its field agents collecting bank accounts and SIM cards across the country
- Whether more POS agents in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region are identified from telecom service provider data
- Progress in tracing fraud complaints linked to the sold SIM numbers on the NCRP portal
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1 report
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All filed from India
Named India · Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre · Ministry of Home Affairs · Mumbai Cyber Police · National Cybercrime Reporting Platform · Prathamesh Chorat · VS Dighe · West Cyber Police
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