Deceased Man's SIM Used to Siphon Off ₹20 lakh

Hyderabad:Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) arrested a man in Karimnagar for allegedly siphoning off over Rs 20 lakh from a deceased person's bank account using a compromised SIM card.

The accused, Mohammad Asif Pasha, along with his associate, Mohammed Jahangir, used the SIM card of Md. Samiuddin, a retired superintendent from the irrigation department who passed away in 2022.

Samiuddin had accounts in two banks. They were linked with his phone. Both accounts had his sister, Sabiha Sultana, as either nominee or joint-holder.

Jahangir was a colleague of Samiuddin. He shared Samiuddin’s personal information with Asif.

In June, Asif blocked Samiuddin’s SIM card and fraudulently re-activated it in his own name by using forged identity documents, TGSCB said.

The accused used this SIM card to access banking applications and transferred `20,18,557 from the accounts of Samiuddin and his sister.

Following a thorough investigation, the Cyber Crime Police Station in Karimnagar traced and arrested Asif. Police recovered `18 lakhs in cash, a cell phone, credit cards, and credit card bills paid using Samiuddin’s money.

Asif was produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody. Efforts are ongoing to trace Jahangir, TGCSB director Shikha Goel stated.

BRK News head under I-T scanner

Hyderabad:Income-tax (I-T) department sleuths carried out simultaneous searches at various locations related to Bolla Ramakrishna Choudhary, the head of BRK news channel, for alleged financial irregularities, here on Tuesday, sources said.

Over a dozen I-T teams reportedly conducted searches in Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, Gayatri Hills, Himayatnagar, Basheerbagh, Madhapur and Kukatpally since the early hours.

I-T officials who split into separate teams reportedly searched the apartments of an establishment Rainbow Vistas Rock Garden, owned by Ramakrishna Choudhary at Madhapur.

The officials reportedly seized documents related to high-value financial transactions.

It is reported that Ramakrishna Choudhary has multiple business establishments that include healthcare and BRK News Channel on Banjara Hills Road No. 11. He is also said to have invested in real-estate and liquor business.

The teams, who conducted the raids, are reportedly tallying with the suspect's I-T returns and other legal formalities are being carried out. Officials are yet to disclose if any assets, cash or documents have been seized or any legal action initiated.

Apart from the residential premises, the I-T officials also conducted searches on business establishments as part of the investigations into suspected financial irregularities.