Dharavi police bust SIM card racket

The Dharavi police arrested a 35-year-old man for issuing SIM cards using forged documents on Friday. The accused was a salesman working as a distributor of Aircel company, police said.

Acting on a tip off from their sources, the police team raided the Vansu General Agency in Dharavi and arrested Suresh Nadar. Police found 36 photocopies of election ID cards, Aadhar cards and 63 passport size photographs along with half-filled SIM card application forms. Police said that Nadar, a resident of Dombivali, used to make multiple photocopies of identity proofs given by real applicants and then tamper with the names to use it as proof for other applicants who did not have authentic documents.

“We have also seized forged rubber stamps of bogus distributing agencies under the name of Indian cricketers,” said DCP (zone 5) Dhananjay Kulkarni. Ninety stamps bearing names like Sachin Telecom, Rohit Communications, Dhoni Communication, Virat Telecom, Raina Telecom, Ashwin Enterprises and Rahul Mobile World were seized. The completed application forms were attested using these bogus stamps.

According to the police, the accused was doing this to meet his monthly sales targets.

Nadar has been arrested for forgery and cheating and will be kept in police custody till May 21. Police are now investigating the extent of the scam but have ruled out a link with terror organisations.