Vaishali, Bihar, September 12 (Daily Kiran) : In a significant crackdown on cyber fraud, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted raids at ten locations in Vaishali, Bihar, and Jagatsinghpur, Odisha, on Saturday. This operation led to the arrest of a telecom company distributor involved in illegal SIM box operations tied to financial fraud.
During the raids, CBI officials seized various digital devices, including mobile phones, laptops, and SIM cards, which contained incriminating evidence. The distributor, based in the Mahua area of Vaishali, was accused of fraudulently issuing a large number of SIM cards, which were subsequently used in illegal operations.
The CBI is investigating a case from last year involving an unlawful SIM box operation in Supaul district, Bihar. Initially, the state police handled the investigation before it was transferred to the CBI.
According to the CBI, over 1,300 SIM cards were discovered at the location where the SIM box was operated. The agency has gathered data linking this operation to at least 73 cybercrime cases across India, including those involving ‘digital arrests.’
A detailed analysis of the data associated with these SIM cards revealed several suspicious points of sale. The CBI noted that most of the SIM cards were issued from Bihar and Odisha. More than 700 SIM cards were fraudulently issued by the distributor using information from over a dozen points of sale in Vaishali.
Several customers have reported that they were unaware of any SIM cards issued in their names. This deception occurred either when they were misled while visiting a legitimate SIM card provider or through the misuse of their biometric data for e-KYC authorizations.
The CBI continues to investigate this case, which was referred to them by the Bihar government for offenses including fraud, forgery, extortion under the Bihar Narcotic Substance Act, identity theft, and computer-related crimes under the Information Technology Act and the Telecommunications Act of 2022.
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