Sambalpur Police have dismantled a sophisticated cybercrime syndicate involved in activating and selling illegal SIM cards through fraudulent KYC documentation.
Three members of the network have been taken into custody.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Suraj Bag (24), Malati Oram (29), and Sheikh Parwez alias Papu (32).
Seizures and Evidence Recovered
During the raid, law enforcement officers confiscated a substantial collection of incriminating items used to facilitate the illegal operation, including:
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120 sealed, pre-activated Airtel SIM cards
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4 mobile phones (including one equipped with a QR code scanner)
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3 bank passbooks and 1 chequebook
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4 Airtel Plus glow-boards
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Multiple affidavits, customer documents, and house rent agreements
Modus Operandi: Exploiting KYC Data
According to police sources, the accused misused corporate portal privileges and Global IDs. When unsuspecting customers applied for a new mobile connection, the operators used their identity documents to activate multiple additional SIM cards without the customers’ knowledge or consent.
While the legitimate customer received a single activated SIM, the extra pre-activated SIMs were retained by the syndicate. These illicit cards were then sold to third parties—with a significant batch allegedly routed to Jamtara, Jharkhand, a notorious hub for cyber fraud, where they were used to orchestrate phishing scams and financial extortion across the country.
Legal Action and Further Probe
The Sambalpur Cyber Police Station registered a formal case (Case No. 34, dated 22.09.2026) under Sections 319(2), 336(3), 340(2), 61(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
Investigators are currently probing deeper into the network to identify other accomplices, track the financial trail, and determine the full extent of SIM cards funnelled into cybercrime hotspots.
