In a major breakthrough, the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested five men from Morigaon district in Assam for cheating HSBC Bank out of ₹1.27 crore through a well-planned credit card fraud.
According to the police, the accused are all young men between the ages of 25 and 37. They allegedly used fake identities and documents to get 55 credit cards from HSBC Bank. These cards were then used to make expensive purchases and transfer money into fake bank accounts created by the gang.
How the Fraud Was Done
The five accused – Mohebur Abdul Rahman (28), Sadiqul Islam (27), Ilyas Rafiqul Islam (25), Abu Bakr Siddique Ramzan Ali (37), and Mohimuddin Ahmed Abdul Malik (26) – all come from a village in Morigaon, Assam.
The gang targeted people who had good CIBIL scores. They used their details to create fake PAN cards and other documents. These documents were used to get Aadhaar cards from a fake Aadhaar centre operating in Morigaon. Police believe this Aadhaar centre was part of a larger illegal network.
Using these fake identities, the gang applied for credit cards from HSBC and other financial companies. They rented temporary homes in Mumbai to receive the cards. As soon as the cards arrived, they disappeared. All 55 credit cards in this case were issued between February and June 2024.
Once the gang had the credit cards, they went on a planned spree – shopping for expensive items, transferring money, and using up the full credit limits. After that, they cut all ties with Mumbai and returned to Assam.
Investigation and Arrest
The case first came to light in 2023 when an HSBC Bank employee filed a complaint at the Azad Maidan police station. Later, the Mumbai Crime Branch took over the case and began a detailed investigation.
Police used bank transaction records, mobile phone tracking, CCTV footage, and digital documents to find out who was behind the scam. They noticed similar digital footprints in other cases involving Aditya Birla Finance and Axis Bank.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade said the team worked with the Laharighat police in Morigaon to catch the suspects. “We had strong evidence like bank statements, mobile data, and fake IDs. Once we were confident, we moved quickly and arrested all five men,” he said.
The accused will be brought to Mumbai for further questioning. They have been booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy, as well as sections of the Information Technology Act.
