Hamirpur police bust fake SIM fraud ring, arrest two accused behind cyber scams

Hamirpur cyber crime police have busted a fake SIM card fraud ring and arrested two accused who were activating fraudulent SIM cards through forged e-KYC to carry out cyber fraud across the country. Superintendent of Police Mrigank Shekhar Pathak revealed the breakthrough during a press conference held at the Police Lines auditorium.

The police recovered 48 blank SIM cards from the possession of the arrested accused, identified as Deepak and Vikrant, along with 2 Android mobile phones and 2 Aadhaar cards. Investigation revealed that the gang had activated 105 SIM cards using forged e-KYC documents, which were subsequently used in cyber fraud operations spanning 17 states. Analysis showed that 170 NCRP complaints had been registered in connection with these fraudulent SIM cards.

According to police, accused Deepak was linked to 114 cyber fraud incidents across 19 states using 69 SIM cards, while accused Vikrant was found to be involved in 56 incidents across 16 states using 36 SIM cards. The fraudulent SIM cards were being actively used to dupe victims of lakhs of rupees through various cyber fraud schemes.

The crackdown follows intensive investigation by the cyber crime police to trace the source of SIM cards being used in multiple cyber fraud cases. The fake SIM cards were activated by manipulating the e-KYC verification process, allowing the fraudsters to operate anonymously while conducting their illegal activities. Police are continuing their investigation to determine if more members are part of the network and to identify additional victims who may have been defrauded using these illegal SIM cards. The arrests mark a significant step in curbing organized cyber crime operations in the region.