Tenant Exploits Landlady, Steals Nearly ₹2 Lakhs via SIM Swap Scam

A computer science engineering student, posing as a tenant, has been arrested in Ranchi, Jharkhand for allegedly defrauding his landlady. The accused, identified as Abhishek Kumar, employed a sophisticated SIM swap scam to steal approximately ₹1.88 lakhs from the victim’s bank accounts and credit cards. The fraudulent transactions occurred between June 2nd and June 15th, 2025. Kumar, a resident of Vaishali, Bihar, is accused of removing the landlady’s SIM card from her phone and replacing it with a black SIM to carry out the scam. He then utilized the real SIM card to create UPI accounts and siphon money through various Common Service Provider (CSP) operators’ scanners. Four mobile phones were recovered from his possession.