Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police, which recently dismantled a major SIM box racket, is set to dispatch a special team to Ranchi to seize another SIM box with assistance from Jharkhand Police, a senior official announced on Monday.
The racket was uncovered on August 16 when authorities arrested Raju Mandal, a West Bengal resident, in Bhubaneswar. The operation led to the seizure of five active SIM boxes, two reserve boxes, over 750 SIM cards, routers, and other equipment from a house at Mahadevnagar under Laxmisagar police limits in Bhubaneswar.
Investigations revealed that the racket was orchestrated by Bangladeshi national Asadur Zaman, who used the setup in Bhubaneswar to reroute international calls from Pakistan, China, and West Asia to India. SIM boxes, which conceal original phone numbers, are frequently used in cybercrime, terrorism, extortion, and other illegal activities, posing significant challenges for law enforcement.
Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner Sanjeeb Panda addressing a presser here on Monday stated, “Our investigation indicates that another SIM box is located in Ranchi. Our team will coordinate with local police to conduct a search and seizure operation there.”
Mandal, during interrogation, disclosed that he operated SIM boxes across multiple locations, including Cuttack and Ranchi. Acting on this information, a special squad, accompanied by cyber experts, raided a house in Cuttack’s Madhupatna area on Sunday, seizing five SIM boxes, 236 active SIMs, 310 spare SIMs, and related materials.
Police revealed that Mandal had rented a house in Bhubaneswar in December 2023 under the guise of running a cloth business, paying Rs 8,000 per month through PhonePe. Zaman, 30, from Feni, Bangladesh, arrived in Cuttack in December to establish the SIM box operation, with Mandal managing its upkeep.
Zaman entered India via ICP Agartala on October 21, 2023, with a visa valid until October 2024, and left for Bangladesh on December 24, 2023, through ICP Haridaspur. Mandal, who frequently travelled to Bangladesh via the Basirhat border and visited Bangaon for small business activities, met Zaman there, leading to their collaboration on the SIM box operation in India.
Authorities have traced three bank accounts linked to Mandal and his wife and are awaiting further details.
