Archive · 5 Nov 2025
Fake SIM Card Racket Busted in Andhra Pradesh, Two Arrested
Imagine people trying to get new phone SIM cards.
Sometimes, workers trick customers by pretending their fingerprint scan didn't work, and then secretly use the same fingerprint to activate extra SIM cards without the customer knowing.
Two men did this a lot, making hundreds of fake SIM cards every month.
They then sold these fake SIM cards to criminals who used them for bad things like online scams.
The police caught these two men and stopped their illegal SIM card operation.
Visakhapatnam Cyber Crime Police busted a fake SIM card racket, arresting two individuals.
The accused exploited biometric data collection to activate hundreds of unauthorized SIM cards monthly.
These fake SIMs were supplied to cybercrime gangs operating in Cambodia and Thailand.
The racket generated multiple fake social media and email accounts per SIM card.
The illicit SIMs were used for various cybercrimes including scams and fraud.
- Who
- Visakhapatnam Cyber Crime Police
- What
- Busted a fake SIM card racket and arrested two individuals for illegally activating and distributing SIM cards.
- When
- Recently (implied by news report)
- Where
- Visakhapatnam, Godavari Districts, and internationally in Cambodia and Thailand.
- Why
- The fake SIM cards were used by cybercrime gangs for fraudulent activities.
- Operation Location
- Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
- Arrested Individuals
- Ganta Ramakrishna and Adapa Kondababu
- Illegal Activity
- Running a fake SIM card racket
- Method Used
- Duplicate biometric scans for unauthorized SIM activation
- Scale of Operation
- Approx. 500-600 fake SIMs activated monthly
- End Use of SIMs
- Cybercrimes in Cambodia and Thailand, including task fraud, investment scams, OTP fraud, and credit card fraud