Illegal SIM Box Racket Involved in Cybercrimes Busted in Chennai
Cyber Crime Wing Headquarters has cautioned the public not to blindly trust the identity of callers even if the displayed telephone number appears genuine
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Wing has busted an illegal SIM box operation in Chennai which could be used by cybercriminals who could make fraudulent calls, impersonate government officials, conceal the identity and location of the callers and evade conventional telecom tracking mechanisms.
Such facilities can be misused in organised cyber fraud networks, particularly for targeting unsuspecting members of the public through impersonation and other forms of telephone-based fraud. Acting on specific intelligence received from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on the suspected operation of an illegal telecom setup using SIM boxes at Saidapet in the city, the Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Wing Headquarters, busted a SIM Box setup and arrested two persons, a press release from the Cyber Crime wing said.
A complaint was lodged by G. Saravana Kumar, Assistant Director (Security) in the Department of Telecommunications requesting a joint surprise inspection of the suspected premises. The suspected operation was linked to Forte Management Services in Saidapet. Acting on the complaint and intelligence inputs, a joint team conducted a surprise inspection at the operational premises of the establishment.
During the inspection, an unauthorized telecommunication setup capable of accommodating multiple SIMs was detected. The equipment was found to be operating without the requisite licence or authorisation from the competent authority. During the inspection 10 SIM Boxes, comprising SIM Boxes with 64 SIM slots each, 7 SIM Boxes with 32 SIM slots each, a damaged SIM Box, 2 CPUs, 2 servers and 182 SIM cards.
Further analysis of the seized SIM Box equipment and associated SIM cards revealed their links to 301 National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) complaints reported from various parts of the country, including 52 cybercrime complaints registered in Tamil Nadu.
In connection with the case, two persons Srinivasan, Manager of the firm and Sanjay, an IT Department Technician, were arrested for their alleged involvement in the operation of the unauthorised setup. Further investigation is being carried out to ascertain the nature and extent of the illegal telecommunication activities, examine the usage and source of the seized SIM cards, identify the persons and entities connected with the operation and determine whether the facility was used for any other unlawful activities. Further investigation is in progress.
Cyber Crime Wing Headquarters has cautioned the public not to blindly trust the identity of callers even if the displayed telephone number appears genuine. Fraudsters may use sophisticated techniques to disguise or manipulate caller identity. The public should be alert to calls from persons claiming to be police officers, CBI, ED, TRAI, DoT, bank officials or other government authorities, particularly those threatening arrest, account freezing or legal action.
