Dongargarh. Have you ever thought that a mobile shopkeeper of your city, who used to sell SIM cards smilingly every day, would turn out to be a big player in an international cyber crime racket? Yes, the arrest of Ajay Motghare, owner of ‘Ajju Mobile’ located at Railway Chowk in Dongargarh, has shaken the entire city. Today, as soon as the cyber police team reached Railway Chowk, there was a stir in the market. Ajay Motghare was arrested within a few minutes. People around were stunned that the same Ajay, who used to recharge mobiles daily, was he really involved in cyber fraud worth crores of rupees? This action has been taken under Operation Cyber Shield.
Shocking revelations in the investigation
During the investigation, it was revealed that Ajay issued thousands of SIM cards through fake documents. The surprising thing is that these SIM cards were being used for cyber fraud not only in India but also in countries like United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myanmar. According to the police, 7063 fake SIM cards and 590 mobile phones were used in this crime through Ajay and his network.
Ajay would first win the trust of the customers and then do their double thumb scan and eye-blink. After this, he would activate many fake SIM cards in the name of the same customer. In some cases, SIM cards were generated using only the photocopy of the Aadhaar card. Later, these SIM cards were sold to mule account operators and brokers, who used them for international fraud.
98 accused arrested so far under Operation Cyber Shield
This sensational case has been revealed under Operation Cyber Shield being run under the leadership of Raipur Range IG Amresh Mishra. So far 98 accused have been arrested in this campaign, which includes mule account holders, bank officials and POS agents. After Ajay’s arrest, there is silence in the entire market including Railway Chowk. Apart from Ajay, 12 other POS agents of Airtel and Jio company have been arrested in this crime. According to sources, Ajay has revealed many big names during interrogation, due to which more big faces of this racket can come to the fore. The police have sent Ajay to judicial custody and more arrests are likely in the coming days.
It is shocking that such a big conspiracy of cyber crime has been exposed in a small town like Dongargarh. This case is not only a warning for the local administration but also a lesson for the common people to be cautious before giving their documents to anyone. The police has appealed to the people to avoid unknown calls and fake offers and report any suspicious activity immediately.
