An investigation into suspicious telecommunications activity in Chennai has exposed an illegal SIM box operation allegedly run behind a loan recovery business. The Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Wing arrested 2 employees and seized equipment believed to be connected to hundreds of cybercrime complaints across India.
Acting on intelligence shared by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), police raided the offices of Forte Management Services and Polly Towers in Saidapet.
SIM box network operated behind a loan recovery business
Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime Wing) S Selvanagarathinam said the company operated a legitimate loan recovery and collection service for banks and NBFCs while allegedly conducting cybercrime activities through its backend.
“They have been running a front-end legal company in the name of Forte Management Services where they have been the recovery and collection agent for loans obtained from banks and NBFCs, but in the back-end they have been conducting various cyber crimes,” the SP added.
Police seized 11 SIM boxes, including 3 devices with 64 slots, 7 with 32 slots and 1 damaged unit. The raid also recovered 182 SIM cards, 2 servers and 2 CPUs.
SIM box technology uses multiple SIM cards to route calls and messages while bypassing standard telecom gateways. It can disguise international VoIP calls as regular Indian calls displaying local +91 numbers.
The arrested employees were identified as manager Srinivasan and IT technician Sanjay. Police are yet to arrest the owner and have begun examining other employees and the seized equipment.
Investigators linked the setup to 301 cybercrime complaints registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), including 52 cases from Tamil Nadu.
Selvanagarathinam said similar operations had been uncovered in the state and enforcement would continue through coordinated action by the Telecom Department, Cyber Crime Wing and other agencies.
Police urge citizens to report suspicious activity
The SP advised people to secure personal information, use 2-factor authentication and strong passwords, and avoid suspicious links, emails and calls. He warned against investment offers involving cryptocurrency or share trading, threats of “digital arrest” and scams involving non-consensual intimate images.
Police stressed that legitimate government or law enforcement agencies will not demand money over phone or video calls to settle legal matters or prevent arrest.
Citizens who encounter suspicious calls or malicious activity can report it immediately through the cybercrime helpline 1930 or the official portal www.cybercrime.gov.in.
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