The investigation into fraudulent SIM card issuance has widened, with Bidhannagar Cyber Crime Police arresting 3 Point of Sale (PoS) agents linked to 2 separate private telecom operators. The agents are accused of allegedly issuing SIM cards without following required verification procedures.
“During further investigation, five SIM collection agents were also arrested, taking the total number of arrests to eight,” said a senior officer.
Police said the SIM cards were allegedly activated without proper verification and later misused in cyber scams and other cyber-related offences. The investigation is continuing to identify the wider network, establish the complete modus operandi and take legal action against those involved.
Investigators found that PoS vendors allegedly exploited loopholes in the Know Your Customer (KYC) activation process. The activated SIM cards were then allegedly diverted to cybercrime syndicates in exchange for heavy commissions.
In several cases, roadside retailers allegedly collected personal information to initiate unauthorised SIM swaps. Some applications were also processed using fake or mismatched identity documents.
Police officials said scrutiny of telecom retailers, PoS agents and distributor networks across the city is continuing. The exercise is aimed at identifying all members of the suspected syndicate and preventing further unauthorised SIM card activities.
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