Jaisalmer: A team from the Baltora cyber police station Friday announced the busting of an interstate organised gang involved in the illegal procurement and distribution of fake SIM cards that enabled a range of criminal activities, from cyber crime and drug trafficking to liquor smuggling.Police arrested 10 persons in this case and seized 50,000 SIM cards, 19 mobile phones, and three laptops as part of the three-month-long operation codenamed ‘Black SIM’. Police said the gang operated a sophisticated network that included SIM vendors, recharge partners, and others.According to Baltora superintendent of police, Ramesh Kumar, the operation was conducted by a team under the supervision of ASP Gopal Singh Bhati and led by the station house officer of the district’s cyber police station.The cyber team worked continuously for three months, using both traditional investigative techniques and advanced technical analysis to track down the suspects, Kumar said.Police said the gang exploited customers in Baltora and other parts of Rajasthan who were seeking new SIM cards or using e-KYC and number porting services.After completing the legitimate processes for these services, gang members would falsely claim a technical failure, access the customer’s photo and personal details, and use them to activate an additional SIM from a second telecom company.Once the process was done, genuine SIM cards would be handed to unsuspecting customers, while the duplicate ones would be illegally sold on the black market. Police said fake SIM cards were packaged and sent to locations in Rajasthan and outside via post and other transportation methods.Police said the true scale of the operation was revealed with the discovery of multiple bank statements and accounts with crores of rupees.Police identified the gang’s masterminds as Sandeep Kumar and Vikram, who operated from Baltora, and Lokesh Jajoria, who was based in Jaipur. Other members included Rahul Gupta from Jaipur and Guddu from Punjab, who sourced fake SIM cards from multiple districts, including Jaipur, Bundi, Karauli, Tonk, Sawai Madhopur and Dholpur.Cases have been registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and the Information Technology Act, 2000.All 10 accused were presented in court and have been remanded to police custody.The Balotra cyber cell is coordinating with police in other districts to share network data and evidence, as investigations continue into the full extent of the gang’s operations.The operation is being hailed as a significant step against cybercrime in Rajasthan.
Balotra police interstate fake SIM card gang; 10 arrested | Jaipur News
