Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Dhubri police dismantled a major SIM card fraud operation on Thursday, July 16. The scheme funneled illegally activated mobile connections into cybercrime rings across the country. Officers registered the case at the Dhubri Police Station under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Charges include criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and using forged documents.
The investigation began after the Office of the Special Superintendent of Police in Dhubri received an alert from the Department of Telecommunications. Authorities flagged 45 mobile numbers tied to two local retail points: Pakhi Enterprise and Dr Tele Services. Sub-Inspector Abha Jyoti Rabha filed the formal complaint following the initial probe.
Police arrested two men involved in the scheme. Ataur Rahman, a Vodafone-Idea distributor for the Dhubri-Dharmasala area, and local retailer Noor Islam are in custody. Investigators claim the pair skipped mandatory Know Your Customer checks. They used fake identity documents to register cards for customers looking to stay hidden.
These cards powered phishing scams and digital arrest extortion plots. In these cases, criminals impersonate officials to steal money. "Several of the illegally activated SIM cards were later linked to cyber-enabled crimes, including online financial fraud, phishing scams and so-called digital arrest frauds," police stated. Officials seized two phones and a stack of SIM cards during the arrests.
Sub-Inspector J.M. Kalita is leading the ongoing investigation. The department is working to identify other members of the network. Both suspects appeared before a Dhubri court this week.
Comments