Man held for selling SIM cards bought with forged documents

The crime branch's Bandra unit has arrested a 26-year-old man on charges of procuring SIM cards by submitting bogus documents, and then selling over 400 of them at Rs 500 each without any paperwork. The police are now trying to find out who he bought the cards from and who he sold them to

Police sources said Asif Ejaz Ahmed Shaikh, a resident of Saki Naka, was arrested on the basis of a tip-off that he was involved in selling SIM cards of a particular mobile service provider illegally. The crime branch team then laid a trap near Saki Naka junction on Sunday and arrested Shaikh.

The police found 160 SIM cards in Shaikh's possession. "He said he had procured the cards by forging the documents of three people, whose statements we have recorded," said a crime branch officer.

"We have seized a diary from Shaikh. Its contents indicate that he has sold over 400 SIM cards already. He charged Rs 500 for each card. We are now investigating who were the people he sold the cards to and for what purpose. There have been instances in the past wherein underworld and terrorist elements have used SIM cards procured through bogus documents for criminal activities," the officer said.

Shaikh used to work in a mobile service provider showroom earlier. He has been booked under section 420 (cheating), 465 (punishment for forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. He was produced in court and has been remanded to police custody till August 6.