BENGALURU: The Karnataka Cyber Command Unit has busted an illegal SIM box network operating from two locations in the city and arrested four people for their alleged involvement in the supply chain of e-SIMs.
The investigation has revealed suspected links between the network and digital arrest scams, sextortion and financial frauds across India.
According to the police, the network came to light after the Chief Circle Nodal Officer of Bharti Airtel Limited in Bengaluru filed a complaint with the Whitefield Cyber Crime police station regarding the suspected unauthorised use of Airtel SIM cards.
Following an investigation in coordination with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Karnataka, police identified two facilities allegedly operated by the same network in Pattandur Agrahara and Kadugodi.
During raids at the two locations, police seized six SIM box devices, each with 32 SIM slots, from an apartment in Kadugodi. The devices had a total capacity of 192 SIM connections configured with e-SIM-enabled connections from various telecom service providers.
In Pattandur Agrahara, four SIM box devices were seized, each with 32 SIM slots, providing a total capacity of 128 SIM connections.
The investigation has also revealed indications of a wider cybercrime network, with suspected links to digital arrest scams, sextortion and other forms of financial cyber fraud. The devices recovered from both locations are suspected to have formed part of an organised telecommunications setup used to facilitate fraudulent communications and related cybercrime activities.
The seized devices are being examined to establish their precise operational roles and links to the suspected offenders.
A senior police officer said preliminary findings suggest the possibility of substantial financial exposure, potentially running into hundreds of crores of rupees across the wider network. However, the actual number of victims, financial losses and the extent of the network are yet to be established and remain subject to verification through further investigation and coordination among agencies.
Police also traced leads to Tiroda in Maharashtra’s Gondia district, where four people were arrested for their alleged involvement in the e-SIM supply chain. The accused are suspected of facilitating the procurement and provision of e-SIM resources allegedly used in the operation.
Further investigation is under way to establish the individual roles of the accused, identify others involved in the network and determine possible links between the SIM/e-SIM supply chain, the officer said.