Mumbai: POCSO Accused Arrested After 3 Years on the Run; Used 65 SIM Cards to Evade Police

Mumbai, 30th June 2025: A 22-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a minor girl and absconding for three years was finally arrested by Mumbai Police in Gujarat. The accused, Naushad Isra Ahmed, was traced to Padamla area in Gujarat, where he worked as a truck driver for a courier company.

Naushad was booked under the POCSO Act and kidnapping charges at Vinoba Bhave Nagar Police Station in Kurla on July 18, 2022. After the case was filed, he fled abroad and later returned to India, hiding in different states including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh.

To evade arrest, Naushad frequently changed his location, identity, and mobile numbers. Investigations revealed he had used 65 SIM cards over the three-year period. These SIMs were procured in Gujarat, and police are probing how he managed to acquire them.

Police relied on technical surveillance and information from a confidential informant to track his movements. His frequent travel patterns across states, owing to his work as a driver, had complicated efforts to arrest him earlier.

After confirming his location through mobile tracking, a team was dispatched to Gujarat. A trap was laid and Naushad was successfully arrested and later brought back to Mumbai.

Authorities said the accused had gone to great lengths to avoid detection, including changing his name and identity multiple times. Efforts are now underway to identify the sources who helped him procure the SIM cards.

The arrest marks a major breakthrough in a case that had remained unresolved for three years. Police officials have confirmed that local law enforcement in Gujarat will be briefed about the SIM card purchases to support the ongoing investigation.