NEW DELHI: In a major crackdown against transnational organised cybercrime and digital arrest syndicates as well as those who sale unauthorised SIM cards, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday conducted countrywide raids at 42 locations in eight states and arrested five accused, officials said.
Noting that the action was initiated under ongoing Operation Chakra -V against transnational cyber criminals, the officials said, the searches were conducted at multiple locations on premise of various ‘Point of Sale Agents of Telecom Operators’, allegedly acting in connivance with cyber criminals and unknown executive of Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) in issuing SIMs cards.
These SIM cards are mostly used in illegal activities involving digital arrest, impersonation, fraudulent advertisement, investment and UPI frauds, they said.
“In concerted efforts to curb the sale and misuse of unauthorised sale of SIM cards, the CBI conducted searches at premises of 38 Point of Sale Agents across multiple locations covering eight states - Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu,” a senior official said.
The searches led to seizure of incriminating documents and articles such as mobile handsets, electronic devices, copies of KYC documents and identification of individuals including middlemen involved in distribution of unauthorised SIM cards and seizure of movable assets acquired as proceeds of crime, he said. He also added that five accused in four states have been arrested for their alleged involvement in selling of SIM cards unauthorisedly by violating the KYC norms.
The action is part of the ongoing commitment of the government of India to severely deal with cybercrime and its perpetrators with a special emphasis on dismantling the infrastructure behind such offences, the officials said, adding that investigation in the case continued.