Why Was a Man Arrested in Delhi Over Baba Siddique's Mobile Number?

Mumbai, July 7 (NationPress) The Mumbai Police have detained a man from Delhi for allegedly attempting to illegally regain control of a mobile number associated with the late NCP leader Baba Siddique, which is tied to his family's business enterprises.

The suspect, identified as Vivek Sabrawal, was captured in the Burari district of Delhi and subsequently transported to Mumbai for further investigation.

Authorities claim that Sabrawal attempted to reactivate Siddique's phone number using a new SIM card, intending to employ it for cyber fraud. According to police reports, the accused has a prior history of cybercrime, with multiple cases against him.

He was reportedly out on bail related to one of these previous cases when he executed this latest fraudulent scheme.

A case has been filed under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including those concerning cheating, attempted offenses, forgery, fabrication of documents, and using fraudulent electronic documents as genuine.

Officials suspect that Sabrawal's intention was to misuse the number for financial or digital scams.

This incident came to light when Siddique's daughter, Arshiya Siddique, lodged a complaint at the Bandra Police Station in Mumbai. She reported that an unidentified person had fraudulently tried to become the 'authorized signatory' for her late father's mobile number, which is still active and linked to their family's business interests, including Zears Business India LLP and her food venture Flavour Food Venture.

The police revealed that the fraudster had created a fake email address in the name of Shahzeen Siddique, Baba Siddique's wife, to inquire with Vodafone about the status of the authorized signatory on the mobile number.

In a more alarming turn, the individual accessed Shahzeen Siddique's personal documents, such as Aadhaar, PAN card, GST details, and the company's letterhead, to support the fraudulent claim.

Using these forged documents, he submitted a request to Vodafone to modify the signatory, listing fictitious names like Michael Sharma, Tarun Kumar, Avinash Arora, and Sumit Sharma.

On June 25, Vodafone responded to the request by CC'ing Shahzeen Siddique's actual email address, which immediately alerted the family about the unauthorized application using falsified credentials.

The Siddique family, alarmed by this incident, contacted the police. While Sabrawal is now in custody for his role in the SIM card reactivation attempt, investigations are still ongoing to uncover any additional suspects involved in this attempted fraud.

The complainant has urged the Mumbai Police to trace the origin of the fake email address and examine the call data records (CDR) associated with the number mentioned in the request, expressing concerns about a potential connection to individuals linked to Baba Siddique's untimely death.

Authorities have stated that further actions will be taken based on the electronic and forensic analysis of the digital evidence, and additional arrests may occur if connections to a broader conspiracy are discovered.

Baba Siddique, a former minister of Maharashtra, was fatally shot in the Bandra region of Mumbai on October 12, 2024.