Bhubaneswar: A local court here Sunday granted Odisha Police five-day remand of Raju Mandal, an accused in the SIM box racket, officials said.
West Bengal resident Mandal was arrested Saturday with over 1,000 pre-activated SIM cards along with routers and other equipment from a house in Bhubaneswar.
Authorities alleged that a Bangladeshi national operated the racket from Bhubaneswar, rerouting international calls to Pakistan, China, and West Asia.
Speaking to reporters, Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh said, “We requested a 14-day remand for Raju Mandal, but the court granted five days.”
During questioning, Mandal allegedly revealed that he was operating SIM boxes from multiple locations in the city, including another site in Cuttack, which police will investigate.
“We are reaching out to his family to learn more about his background and whether he had any accomplices,” Singh said, adding, “Our primary focus is determining whether the SIM boxes were used for cybercrime, terrorist activities, or to create fake telephone exchanges.”
A special team has been formed to investigate the SIM cards used by Mandal. Police plan to coordinate with West Bengal police and send a team to Mandal’s hometown for more information.
“Mandal used to run the show on behalf of a Bangladeshi national identified as Asadur Jaman from a leased property in Bhubaneswar, ensuring the functionality of UPS, internet and other services,” police commissioner of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Sanjeeb Panda said Saturday.
“Preliminary interrogation of Mandal revealed that the SIM boxes were used to reroute international calls to Pakistan, China, and the Middle East. Though Mandal was staying in West Bengal, he used to visit the house in Bhubaneswar to address any SIM issue and to perform maintenance and repairs,” he said.
Panda said the SIM boxes are used to hide original phone numbers and are often employed for cybercrime, hate speech, terrorist acts, extortion, and other illegal activities, posing challenges for law enforcement agencies.
“Bangladesh national Asadur Jaman entered India in October 2023 through Agartala and visited Bhubaneswar. He went back to Bangladesh in December. During his stay, he made payments to Mandal and is believed to have established two more SIM boxes, which are expected to be dismantled soon,” he added.
Panda said police are contemplating taking help from a national investigating agency and also Interpol as the prime accused in the case is a Bangladeshi national.
PTI
