Sambalpur Cyber Police have dismantled a fake SIM card operation that turned ordinary customer documents into extra mobile numbers for the black market—and, police say, into tools for cybercrime far beyond Odisha.
Three accused were arrested in connection with Sambalpur Cyber Police Station Case No. 34, registered on 22 September 2026. They have been identified as Suraj Bag (24) of Panchput, Malati Oram alias Mala (29) of Sinapali, and Papu alias Sheikh Parwez (32) of Motijharan, Sambalpur.
According to the Police, the trio used customers’ identity papers and other documents to obtain multiple SIM cards against a single number. One SIM would be handed to the genuine customer. The extra cards were kept back and sold to others.
Investigators say some of those extra SIMs later surfaced in cyber offences in the Jamtara area of Jharkhand—long known as a hotspot for online fraud. Money earned from the illegal sales was allegedly shared among those involved.
From the accused, police seized four mobile phones, four active SIMs, 120 sealed blank Airtel SIM cards, three bank passbooks, a cheque book, Aadhaar cards, a PhonePe QR code scanner, four affidavits, a house-rent agreement, 10 Airtel pamphlets and four Airtel 5G Plus signboards.
The haul points to more than a small side business. Blank sealed Airtel cards, promotional material and signboards suggest the accused were operating close to the official retail chain—using legitimate-looking paperwork to multiply SIMs that should never have existed.
Police say the probe is still open. Officers are trying to establish who else was in the network, how many SIMs were issued, who received them, how much money changed hands, and how tightly the Sambalpur operation was tied to Jamtara.
For ordinary users, the case is a reminder that a SIM is not just a plastic chip. Extra numbers created on someone else’s Aadhaar or other ID can become anonymous lines for fraud, impersonation and digital crime. For telecom retailers and KYC staff, it is a warning that one extra card issued “off the books” can travel hundreds of kilometres and end up in a cybercrime file.
Sambalpur Cyber Police have not claimed the entire pipeline is shut. They have, however, cut one supply line—and put three alleged suppliers behind bars while they follow the rest of the trail.
