2 hrs ago
Eight Arrested Over Alleged Fraudulent SIM Card Racket
Police in Bidhannagar arrested eight people who are accused of helping issue SIM cards improperly.
The cards were allegedly registered in other people’s names without those people knowing.
Investigators said some of the cards were later used in cyber scams and other cyber offences.
Three Point of Sale agents were arrested first.
Five SIM collection agents were arrested during the follow-up investigation.
Police are trying to find everyone involved and track the money.
They are also trying to identify people who bought the SIM cards.
In a separate operation, police arrested 12 people accused of helping move illegal cybercrime money through bank accounts.
Bidhannagar cybercrime police arrested eight people over an alleged SIM card fraud racket.
Three Point of Sale agents were accused of issuing SIM cards without required verification.
Five SIM collection agents were later arrested, bringing the total to eight.
Investigators said multiple SIM cards were issued in people’s names without their knowledge and used in cybercrime.
Police also arrested 12 people in a separate drive targeting mule accounts allegedly used to transfer cybercrime proceeds.
- Who
- Bidhannagar cybercrime police arrested three Point of Sale agents and five SIM collection agents; 12 others were arrested in a separate mule-account drive.
- What
- Police investigated an alleged racket involving the improper issuance and cybercrime-related use of SIM cards.
- Where
- The investigation involved Bidhannagar and the jurisdiction of the Bidhannagar police commissionerate in Calcutta.
- When
- The report does not specify when the arrests occurred.
- Why
- Police acted on actionable intelligence about SIM card misuse and sought to disrupt cybercrime networks and trace the money trail.
Key facts
- Total SIM-racket arrests
- Eight
- Initial arrests
- Three Point of Sale agents
- Subsequent arrests
- Five SIM collection agents
- Alleged misuse
- SIM cards were allegedly used in cyber scams and other cyber-related offences.
- People reportedly affected
- Individuals, including elderly Calcuttans, whose names were allegedly used without their knowledge.
- Separate mule-account arrests
- Twelve people
- Investigation status
- Police were tracing the wider chain, money trail, and SIM-card purchasers.
Quotes
An officer of Bidhannagar cybercrime police station
Police officer discussing the alleged SIM card misuse.
“This included the use of SIM cards in cybercrimes which were issued in the name of persons who were clueless that extra SIM cards had been issued in their names.”
telegraphindia.com
“When someone submits his documents to obtain a SIM card, a fraudulent vendor can easily issue multiple SIM cards in his name without his knowledge.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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