Hyderabad: The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TSCSB) here has arrested three individuals for Illegally acquiring old mobile phones which they used for cyber crimes. A staggering 4000 mobile phones were seized by the police after their arrest.
According to the TSCSB, the Cyber Security Bureau personnel of Ramagundam CCPS, received information on August 21 that a few people from Bihar were found moving suspiciously in the Power House Colony of Godavarikhani. “They were trying to buy old mobile phones for use in cyber crimes, from people at low prices by offering either plastic items or money in exchange,” stated a press release.
The station house officer of CCPS acted on the information, apprehended three persons and questioned them. The accused – Mohammad Shamim, Abdul Salam, and Mohammad Iftikhar – who are all residents of Hathiya Diyara in Bihar, had three gunny bags containing approximately 4000 old mobile phones.
On further interrogating them, they revealed that they have been purchasing old mobile phones from people at low prices with the intention of transporting them to Bihar from the last one month in Ramagundam and its neighbouring districts. The phones would then be handed over to their associate living in their village back in Bihar.
Eventually, the idea was that these mobile phones would be supplied to cyber fraudsters operating from Jamtara, Deoghar and other areas of Jharkhand state.
Their associate would repair and change the software in these mobiles and other components would as also be replaced before selling them to cyber fraudsters, who use the repaired mobile phones to carry out scams. The fraudulently acquired money would then be shared with their associate and the others involved.
A complaint was registered with the TGCSB and the Telangana police has also adviced the public not to sell or give their old mobile phones to unknown individuals. “If the old phones are sold to unknown persons, there is every chance of using them in Cyber frauds and because of the device identity, the sellers are also suspected in the crimes,” added the release.
