Bhubaneswar: Jagatsinghpur district has emerged as an important link in the CBI’s probe into an illegal SIM Box network allegedly connected to at least 73 cybercrime cases across India, including ‘digital arrest’ frauds.
The agency conducted searches at locations in Jagatsinghpur as part of simultaneous searches at 10 places in Odisha and Bihar’s Vaishali district.
Mobile phones, laptops, SIM cards and other incriminating material were seized during the searches.
The Odisha connection came to light during the investigation into a SIM Box operation detected in Bihar’s Supaul district last year, where more than 1,300 SIM cards were recovered.
Data analysis showed that a large number of the cards had been issued in Bihar and Odisha. The CBI has arrested an Airtel area distributor in Vaishali for allegedly issuing SIM cards fraudulently and passing them on for use in illegal SIM Box operations.
More than 700 cards were allegedly issued by him by misusing the credentials of over a dozen Points of Sale outlets.
Several subscribers reported ly told investigators they were unaware that SIM cards had been issued in their names.
The CBI suspects misuse of e-KYC and biometric data.
The case was transferred to the CBI by the Bihar government.