A large cyber crime racket has been exposed in Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh. Raipur Range Cyber Cell Police has arrested 11 members of an interstate gang selling fake SIM cards under ‘Operation Cyber Shield’. The gang used to activate thousands of SIM cards by misusing fake e-KYC and D-KYC processes, which were sold to brokers and operators associated with mule accounts used in cyber crimes. In this action, the police have so far identified more than 7000 fake SIM cards and 590 mobile phones, which were released in India but were being used in countries like United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myanmar.
Rafts opened in interrogation of arrested accused
The action was taken under the direction of Inspector General of Police of Raipur Range Amresh Mishra. During the investigation, mobile numbers used in cyber crimes related to mule account were examined. The truth of these fake SIM cards came to light based on technical data received from SIM service provider companies. Inquiries of the arrested accused revealed the plan of cyber crime, which helped the police reach the depth of this racket.
Abuse of double thumb scan and eye blink
The arrested accused revealed that they used to misuse biometric methods like double thumb scan and eye blink during the e-KYC process of customers taking new SIM or SIM port. The details of the customers who had physical copy of the Aadhaar card were verified by themselves and additional SIM cards were activated through D-KYC. These SIM cards were later sold to brokers and cyber criminals associated with mule accounts, who used them in financial fraud, money laundering and other cyber crimes.
Arrest of these accused
The police have arrested 11 members of the racket, including POS agents, SIM card distributors and promotion. Police have seized several electronic equipment and documents from their possession, which are being investigated.
Names of arrested accused:
- Nitesh Sharma (Rajasthan)
- Piyush Pandey (Madhya Pradesh)
- Harvinder Bhatia (Durg)
- Dilawar Singh Sandhu (Durg)
- Vaibhav Sahu (Durg)
- Uday Ram Yadu (Raipur)
- Ashish Kalwani (Raipur)
- Chandan Kumar Singh (Raipur)
- Sachin Giri (Raipur)
- Athar Nawaz (Raipur)
- Suraj Markande (Dhamtari)
Connection spread to UAE, Sri Lanka and Nepal
Investigation revealed that the wires of this racket were spread internationally. Fake SIM cards were being used not only in India but also for cyber crimes in countries like UAE, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Myanmar. These SIM cards were playing an important role in financial fraud, digital scams, and cross-border crimes. The police are now looking for other brokers and operators associated with this racket, who are operating this network.
Even before this, many brokers and operators associated with this racket have been arrested. The police is currently trying to reach other members of the racket based on interrogation of the 11 accused arrested. The police have also appealed to telecom companies to develop a better security mechanism to be strict and to prevent misuse of biometric data.
