Six held for Rs 77 lakh OTP diversion fraud in Hyderabad
Hyderabad: Six individuals were arrested by the Cyberabad cybercrime police in relation to a Rs 77 lakh fraud involving SIM card manipulation and OTP diversion, police said on Saturday, May 16.
The accused have been identified as Selim Mondal, Abdul Alim, Saiyad Hasim Reza, Mijanur Rahaman Shaik, Bansidhar and Mehebub Alam Ansary.
According to the police, the accused impersonated officials of Citibank Prestige Credit Card Division and induced victims to convert e-SIMs into physical SIM cards under the pretext of Department of Telecom verification.
They dispatched mobile devices containing malicious applications to the victims through courier services. Victims inserted SIM cards into the devices and their OTPs and banking alerts were diverted to the accused persons.
The accused were apprehended on transit warrants and have been remanded to judicial custody. Cash amounting to Rs 15 lakh has been recovered from the accused’s residences in West Bengal.
Mobile phones, laptops, SIM cards, Citibank labels, Motorola stickers, and one AUX voice transmitter cable were also seized from the accused.
A case has been registered under sections 318(4) (cheating), 319(2) (cheating by personation), 336(3) (forgery), 338 (forgery of valuable securities), 340(2) (presenting a false or forged document as genuine) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and section 66-D (cheating by personation) of IT Act 2000.
Citizens are advised not to share OTPs, banking credentials, or SIM-related information with unknown persons over phone calls.
They are also asked not to insert SIM cards into unknown or courier-delivered devices received from unverified sources.
This post was last modified on May 16, 2026 7:15 pm