MALAPPURAM: The Malappuram Cyber Police have arrested a man who supplied around 40,000 sim cards of various mobile companies to online trading game fraudsters. More than 180 Chinese mobile phones were also recovered from him. The arrested person has been identified as Delhi native Abdul Roshan (46), who lives in Haranahalli in Karnataka. He was arrested from a rented quarters in Madikeri, Karnataka. The accused was arrested during the investigation on the complaint lodged by a Vengara native who lost Rs 1.08 crore invested in an online share market site.

The accused is also a SIM distributor of a private mobile company. When a customer reaches a retail shop for a new sim, the accused collects his/her fingerprint without his/her knowledge by making him/her press the biometric two or three times. SIM cards activated in this way will be bought for 50 rupees each. He will then hand over these SIM cards to the fraudsters. The accused also used to share OTPs to fraudsters to open fake accounts on social media and various commercial platforms.