A SIM card racket operating in Kolkata and Bidhannagar has been busted by the police. At least nine people have been arrested for their role in the racket, the police said on Wednesday.
A police officer from the Bidhannagar police said, “We have unearthed a SIM card gang issuing fraudulent SIM cards at various locations in Kolkata and Bidhannagar. They would collect unique details from customers applying for SIM cards. After processing their requests, they would tell customers that a technical glitch had prevented their SIM cards from being activated. Once the customers left, the gang would complete the activation process and issue the SIM cards to others using the customers’ personal details.”
According to the police, a cybercrime case has been filed based on a specific complaint by SI Rafikul Laskar of the Cyber Crime Police Station, and an investigation was initiated. During the investigation, it was revealed that a gang was issuing SIM cards in different parts of Bidhannagar and Kolkata without proper documents.
The individuals arrested were freelancers and team leaders of Telecommunication Service Providers (TSPs) who issued SIM cards dynamically in certain areas, rather than from a fixed shop. They would collect unique details from customers applying for SIM cards, process the applications, and then inform the customers that due to a technical glitch, their requests could not be processed. However, once the customers left, the gang would complete the activation process and issue SIM cards to other individuals using the personal information of the innocent applicants.
The arrested have been identified as Arkaprabha Roy Chowdhury, Md. Jahir, Rakesh Biswas, Jayanta Mondal, Sujatra Mitra, Subhranshu Majee, Md. Samiuddin, Md. Jalaluddin, and Shahnawaj Ahmed alias Rumi.
“Bidhannagar Police is putting significant efforts to curb cyber fraud. We urge the public not to share personal details with anyone and to avoid clicking on unknown links. For any concerns, please reach out to us at cybercrimepsbdnpc@gmail.com,” said the Bidhannagar Police in a statement.