Maharashtra: Engineer, four others held for cheating e-commerce firms with SIM-Aadhaar card fraud

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The Manpada Police arrested an engineer and four others for allegedly duping e-commerce firms through purchases using SIM cards obtained on the basis of bogus Aadhaar cards, the Thane Police said on Thursday. The police also seized mobile phones, laptop and tabs worth Rs 5.85 lakh, the police said.

According to the police, on September 9, the Dombivli Police received a tip off that a few persons are forging Aadhar cards to get the mobile SIM cards and using their sim cards to con e-commerce websites. API Sunil Tarmale and his team comprising 4 constables rushed to a place at Malang Road, Kalyan (E) and at around 4 pm, they raided Swapna Sundar Residency in Ganesh Chowk.

We found Aadhar cards, mobile phones and a printer inside the flat, said a police official. The persons inside the flat were identified as Robin Aruja (28), Kiran Bansode (26), Rocky Karn (22), Navinkumar Singh (22).

"When they were asked whether they are involved in the forging ID cards for cheating e-commerce website initially they gave evasive answers but later confessed," the official added.

They would take printouts of Aadhaar cards of random people, edit them suitably to generate forged Aadhaar cards. During probe it was revealed that Robin Aruja, an M Tech student used to google Aadhar card and would download cards of unknown persons. Further he would crop the photo and name on the card using a photo editor app he used to allegedly forge the cards.

With such fake Aadhaar cards, they would purchase SIM cards, using which the accused would order tabs, phones and other expensive items from e-commerce sites. They would later replace the item with paper waste and return it saying they did not have money," the official said.

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They later used to sell the item in market at low price. The accused have bought mobile phones, ipad, laptop, tab. Cops found 22 mobile phones, 1 laptop, 1 ipad and a tab, 20 SIM card and 29 Aadhar cards in possession with accused having worth Rs 5,85,136 in total.

"The accused are suspected to be involved in similar crimes in Gujarat, West Bengal and Maharashtra's Pune, Mumbai, Satara, Thane and Alibag," said Shekhar Bagde, Senior Inspector of Manpada Police Station.