Sambalpur: Cyber Police have busted an alleged fake SIM card racket in Sambalpur and arrested three persons for allegedly generating multiple SIM cards using customers’ identity documents and selling the additional cards to others, police said on Thursday.
The arrested persons were identified as Suraj Bag (24) of Panchput, Malati Oram alias Mala (29) of Sinapali and Papu alias Sheikh Parvez (32) of Motijharan in Sambalpur.
The racket came to light during the investigation into Sambalpur Cyber Police Station Case No. 34, registered on September 22, police said.
According to the investigation, the accused allegedly used customers’ identity documents and other papers to obtain multiple SIM cards against a single mobile number. While handing over one SIM to the customer, they allegedly retained the additional cards and sold them to other persons.
Police said some of the SIM cards generated through the alleged racket were being used in cyber crimes in Jharkhand’s Jamtara area. The proceeds from the sale of the SIM cards were allegedly shared among those involved in the network.
Police seized four mobile phones, four active SIM cards, 120 sealed Airtel SIM cards, three bank passbooks, a cheque book, Aadhaar cards, a PhonePe QR scanner, four affidavits, a house rent agreement, 10 Airtel pamphlets and four Airtel 5G Plus signboards from the accused.
Further investigation is underway to identify other members of the network, determine the number of SIM cards generated and supplied, and ascertain the financial transactions involved. Police are also probing the alleged Jamtara link.
