Villagers in Madhya Pradesh are increasingly becoming victims of multi-layered rackets that exploit their identification details to generate fake SIM cards, later used in cyber fraud operations both within India and abroad, including countries like Cambodia and Thailand.
According to Madhya Pradesh Police, an ongoing crackdown against these rackets has exposed how some SIM card point-of-sale operators misuse biometric data, particularly thumb impressions, to issue SIM cards in bulk for fraud networks.
Pranay Nagwanshi, Superintendent of Police, Cyber Cell Bhopal, said, “Our detailed investigations and analysis has revealed that in around 60% cases of fake SIM cards, the thumb impression or fingerprints of people aged between 18 and 45 years, especially from rural areas, have been used to supply SIM cards for cyber fraud rackets operating from Indian states like Jharkhand, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, as well as international syndicates in Cambodia and Thailand.”
Sources connected to the investigation revealed that villagers visiting PoS outlets for new SIM cards are often asked to provide their thumb impressions repeatedly under the pretext of verification issues. While one impression is used for the genuine SIM card, the multiple impressions taken are later used to generate additional fake SIM cards, which are handed over to facilitators supplying them to cyber crime rackets.
Another common practice involves PoS agents luring rural men with quick money to bring relatives and friends under the guise of government scheme registrations. Their identification details, including fingerprints, are then misused to create fake SIM cards.
Nagwanshi cautioned, “Everyone who is giving fingerprint or thumb impressions on devices at SIM card PoS should be alert and question why the staff is asking for multiple scans, to prevent their ID details from being used by cyber fraudsters, including those indulging in digital arrests.”
These revelations came during Operation FAST (Forged-Activated-SIM-Termination), a state-wide crackdown led by the MP Police cyber cell and district police forces, based on information provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C).
Data from I4C showed 6,200 complaints from across states on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal linked to 7,500 fake SIM cards issued by 3,824 PoS in Madhya Pradesh.
In the first phase of the operation launched 15 days ago, police registered 50 FIRs against 94 SIM card PoS and agents across 20 districts, arresting 44 people. They also seized 100 fake SIM cards and seven thumb impression machines.
“Similar operations are underway in the remaining 35 districts of the state. In the next phase, we will probe backward and forward linkages of these PoS, including possible collusion with cellular service provider staff and facilitators supplying bulk SIM cards to fraud rackets,” Nagwanshi added.
So far, five districts—Sidhi, Chhatarpur, Datia, Dindori and Shivpuri—have emerged as major hotspots, with Sidhi alone accounting for around 1,000 fake SIM cards. The Vindhya region, already known as a hub for mule accounts used in illegal financial transactions, is now also identified as a centre for supplying fake SIM cards to cyber fraud syndicates.
A second group of hotspots includes Gwalior, Indore, Damoh, Morena and Jabalpur, where significant numbers of fake SIM cards have also been issued.
Authorities have warned that cyber fraud networks are expanding rapidly, using advanced methods and exploiting rural populations to strengthen their operations.
Also read: Viksit Workforce for a Viksit Bharat
Do Follow: The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News LinkedIn Account | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Facebook | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Youtube | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Twitter |The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Whatsapp Channel | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Instagram
About us:
The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News is a premier platform dedicated to delivering latest news, updates, and insights from the tech industry. With its strong foundation of intellectual property and thought leadership, the platform is well-positioned to stay ahead of the curve and lead conversations about how technology shapes our world. From its early days as CIO News to its rebranding as The Mainstream on November 28, 2024, it has been expanding its global reach, targeting key markets in the Middle East & Africa, ASEAN, the USA, and the UK. The Mainstream is a vision to put technology at the center of every conversation, inspiring professionals and organizations to embrace the future of tech.
