Nepal national arrested with illegal SIM box, multiple ID cards at Panitanki
Times of India | 12 January 2025
12 Siliguri: In a joint operation, Sukna Military Intelligence and Kharibari police arrested a Nepalese national and seized an illegal SIM box, Nepal SIM cards, Indian ID card and a router from him. He was held from Panitanki along the Indo-Nepal border on Friday.
The accused was produced before a Siliguri court, which remanded him in police custody for five days.
The accused was identified as Yoganidhi Pathak, a resident of Illam district in Nepal. Police said in the Indian documents, his name was mentioned as Ashok Chettri.
Cops claimed to have seized the SIM box where 16 SIMs can be used at once, 7 Nepal SIM cards, one Indian SIM card, a router, 12 antennas, wiring cables and adapters. The accused also had a Nepalese identity card and licence, an Indian Aadhaar card, along with two Indian and four ATM cards of different Nepali banks.
Army officials said when Pathak was arrested around 3.30 pm from Panitanki, he was carrying the illegal exchange (SIM box) in his SUV.
An investigating officer said the same photo in the Indian and Nepali identity cards would allow anybody easy movement across the border. In addition, the SIM box recovered from Pathak's possession can be used to bypass domestic and international phone calls.
Darjeeling SP Praween Prakash said: "We are yet to ascertain to whom the SIM box was being delivered or where it was being taken; we can comment only after an investigation. A probe has been started to trace the exact sequence of events. SIM boxes can usually be used for fraud. In this way, international phone calls can be changed to national calls. Call bypassing is a criminal matter."