BHUBANESWAR: The Crime Branch has busted a fake SIM box racket operating from Mayurbhanj, and arrested six persons in this connection.Two SIM boxes having a capacity of installing 512 cards each have been seized from them.
The complaint alleged that a large number of SIM cards are being used to defraud people in various parts of the country. Hundreds of fake SMSs purportedly having the name of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited’s (MTNL) were sent to people asking them to update their KYCs.
“MTNL is providing services in New Delhi and the fraudsters were sending SMSes to the customers and asking them to update their KYC. They warned the victims that if they do not follow the instructions then their SIM cards will be blocked,” said CB IG, Amitendra Nath Sinha. When a victim clicked the link or contacted the phone number shared by the fraudsters, his/her personal details were hacked and their money was stolen.
During the investigation, the agency’s officers conducted a raid at an interior area, Bhandgaon village in the Mayurbhanj district, and arrested Tapas Kumar Patra. After interrogating Patra, CB officers arrested prime accused Vishal Khandelwal and the group’s other members Nigam Patra, Sudhansu Das, Aju Patra and Ajay Kumar Patra.