Surat: Surat Cybercrime police have arrested a 38-year-old man wanted in two cyberfraud cases after he was detained at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai on the basis of a look-out circular (LOC) issued against him.The accused, Mohammad Sahib Tambuwala, a resident of Adajan in Surat, was intercepted after arriving at Mumbai airport from Dubai. Police said he had been evading arrest for nearly three years. According to police, Sahib played a key role in both the fraud cases by providing bank accounts and import-export credentials to other accused for commissions.In the first case, registered in 2023, the accused lured the complainant through a Telegram account and a website, promising commissions for completing YouTube subscription and prepaid tasks.The complainant was allegedly induced to transfer Rs 30.20 lakh to different bank accounts. While the accused returned around Rs 30,450 as commission, the remaining Rs 29.89 lakh was not returned. The case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy, besides Section 66(D) of the Information Technology (IT) Act.Police said Sahib had obtained bank accounts from previously arrested accused on commission and handed them over to a Dubai-based fugitive for use in cyberfraud. He charged around Rs 5 lakh (20,115 dirhams) per account. According to police, transactions worth Rs 5.17 crore took place through one of the accounts used in the case. A check on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) showed 49 complaints from different states linked to the account, including around Rs 86.34 lakh received as cyberfraud proceeds.Fake company used in e-scrip fraudIn the second case, police alleged that fake company documents and digital signatures were created and used to register a firm on the Icegate portal. Fake email and mobile details were registered to facilitate transactions using the complainant’s import-export credentials. Tambuwala helped create a fake company through previously arrested accused Takshal Lungiwala, obtained a digital signature and accepted Rs 50,000 commission for providing the company’s import-export code and login details to the Dubai-based accused.Using the credentials, e-scrips worth Rs 25.36 lakh belonging to the complainant were transferred, causing financial loss to the victim.E-scrip (electronic script) is a digital credit ledger used by exporters in India to claim and utilise duty credit benefits.
