SIM Theft Racket Busted at Pune Railway Station; Cyber Fraud Accused Arrested

Pune, 18th June 2026: A joint operation by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP) has led to the arrest of a 23-year-old man accused of stealing SIM cards from railway passengers and using them to carry out cyber fraud, including unauthorised financial transactions and online purchases.

The accused, identified as Sanket Satish Kulkarni, was arrested during an investigation into multiple complaints from passengers who reported that SIM cards had been removed from their mobile phones while the devices were being charged in waiting rooms and other areas of Pune Railway Station.

According to investigators, Kulkarni allegedly targeted passengers who left their mobile phones unattended at charging points. Instead of stealing the phones, he would discreetly remove the SIM cards, making the theft difficult to detect immediately.

Police said the accused inserted the stolen SIM cards into his own mobile phone and attempted to gain access to the victims’ digital accounts. Investigators alleged that he exploited linked email accounts, cloud-stored data, Google Photos and other personal information to reset passwords and access financial applications, including Google Pay and PhonePe.

Authorities claim the compromised accounts were subsequently used for unauthorised fund transfers, online loan applications and purchases through e-commerce platforms.

The arrest followed an extensive review of CCTV footage from multiple locations across Pune Railway Station. Investigators tracked the suspect’s movements through surveillance footage and intelligence-based monitoring before apprehending him.

During questioning, Kulkarni allegedly admitted to stealing more than 50 SIM cards and carrying out over 20 cyber-enabled financial frauds involving railway passengers.

In one of the cases under investigation, registered at the GRP Pune as Crime Register No. 38/2026 under Sections 303(2), 318, 318(4) and 319 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the accused is alleged to have fraudulently obtained a Samsung Galaxy Ultra smartphone worth ₹1.13 lakh using credentials linked to a stolen SIM card.

Investigators have recovered a mobile phone, multiple SIM cards, ATM cards, memory cards and other materials from the accused. Police said several cases linked to the suspect have already been registered and additional offences may come to light as the investigation progresses.
The operation was conducted under Operation Yatri Suraksha by the Tejaswini Team of RPF Pune in coordination with the GRP Detection Branch.

Railway authorities have advised passengers not to leave mobile phones unattended at charging points and to immediately report the loss of mobile devices or SIM cards to railway authorities and the police.