Mumbai, September 17, 2026: The Mumbai Crime Branch’s West Region Cyber Police have busted a network allegedly involved in supplying fake WhatsApp accounts to criminals operating investment fraud rackets through Telegram groups.
Three persons have been arrested for allegedly procuring fake SIM cards, generating WhatsApp OTPs and providing the accounts to overseas fraudsters, including suspects based in Cambodia, police said.
Case Registered Under BNS, IT Act
The case was registered at the West Region Cyber Police Station under Sections 318(4), 319(2), 336(2), 336(3), 338, 340(2), 3(5) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.
According to the police, the complainant was contacted through WhatsApp by the fraudsters, who allegedly posed as representatives of a reputed investment company.
They lured the victim with promises of high returns through share-market investments and allegedly induced him to transfer Rs 22.30 lakh into various bank accounts. The arrested accused have been identified as Pramod Kumar alias Bipin, Dharmendra Gupta and Rajiv Kumar Gupta.
OTP Farming Setup Uncovered
According to investigators, Pramod Kumar alias Bipin allegedly operated an OTP farming setup with his associates in Delhi and other locations. They allegedly used keypad mobile phones and fake SIM cards to generate WhatsApp OTPs and create fake WhatsApp accounts.
Police said the OTPs were allegedly shared with overseas associates in Cambodia through Telegram and Signal, with the accused reportedly receiving around 13 USDT (Tether cryptocurrency) for each OTP.
Hundreds Of SIM Cards Activated
Investigators said accused Rajiv Kumar Gupta and other SIM card sellers allegedly activated hundreds of SIM cards using the identities of different people without their knowledge. The SIM cards were allegedly supplied to the accused for commission-based payments.
These Indian mobile numbers were subsequently allegedly used by overseas fraudsters to create WhatsApp accounts and target Indian citizens with fake investment schemes.
Mule Accounts And Cryptocurrency
Police said the fraud proceeds were transferred to mule bank accounts, allegedly obtained or operated for the purpose of receiving and transferring money. Intermediaries such as Pramod Kumar allegedly received their share of the proceeds in cryptocurrency.
During the operation, police seized 100 mobile handsets, including 91 Samsung Guru keypad phones and nine smartphones, 669 SIM cards, one Dell computer CPU and Wi-Fi router, 120 mobile phone batteries and 20 chargers, two cheque books and one passbook, two Android mobile phones, an optical fingerprint scanner.
Crime Branch Probes Wider Network
The Crime Branch is investigating the wider network, including the overseas operators allegedly using the WhatsApp accounts, the source of the fake SIM cards, the mule bank accounts and the flow of the fraud proceeds.
Police have advised citizens to verify the official website, SEBI registration number and other credentials of any person claiming to represent an investment company, stock-market expert, broker or financial adviser before investing.
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Citizens have also been cautioned against promises such as “guaranteed profits”, “double returns”, “VIP trading accounts” and “special IPOs”. Police advised people not to click on links sent by unauthorised persons or enter banking, trading or investment credentials on unknown platforms. Citizens should never share their login credentials or OTPs with anyone.
Anyone who falls victim to cyber fraud should immediately contact the 1930 cybercrime helpline and lodge a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
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