Mumbai Crime Branch Unit 3, which is probing the case of theft and sale of personal data on two websites, has invoked Section 66F of the Information Technology Act that deals with cyber terrorism. The section has a maximum punishment of life imprisonment. The defence lawyer, for two of the seven arrested accused, questioned the move and said that if the case was related to cyber terrorism, then the National Investigation Agency would have taken it over. The Esplanade Court, which was hearing bail applications of three accused, has reserved its order till Monday.

The Crime Branch arrested Thane residents Rahul Yeligatti, 28, and Nikhil Yeligatti, 25, last month after learning that the duo was selling  personal details including Aadhaar card number, contact number, address, etc of some people from Maharashtra, Delhi and Gujarat on two websites. During the probe, it was revealed that the siblings launched www.tracenow.co and  www.fonivotech.com during the lockdown. Cops also learnt that Nikhil used to work as a loan recovery agent and knew how to procure data of customers.