K'taka Cyber Command Busts Illegal SIM Box Network In Bengaluru

(MENAFN- IANS) Bengaluru, Oct 22 (IANS) The Karnataka Cyber Command Unit has busted an illegal SIM box network operating from two apartments in Bengaluru's Whitefield division, recovering 10 SIM box devices with a combined capacity of 320 SIM connections and arresting four persons.

The investigation has revealed suspected links to digital-arrest scams, sextortion and other financial cyber frauds across India, with preliminary leads indicating that the wider network could involve financial exposure running into hundreds of crores of rupees.

However, the actual number of victims, financial losses and the extent of the network are yet to be established and remain subject to verification through continuing investigation and inter-agency coordination.

Director General of Police, Cyber Command, Pronab Mohanty, disclosed the details on Thursday, stating that the two facilities, located in Kadugodi and Pattandur Agrahara in Bengaluru, were set up and operated by the same network of accused persons.

The Cyber Crime Police Station, Whitefield, registered a case on August 26, 2026, based on a complaint filed by the Chief Circle Nodal Officer of Bharti Airtel Limited, Bengaluru, regarding the suspected unauthorised use of Airtel SIM cards in a SIM box setup operating in the Whitefield and Kadugodi areas. A detailed investigation was subsequently initiated.

During a special operation conducted in coordination with the Department of Telecommunications, Karnataka, police identified two SIM box facilities functioning from separate apartments within the jurisdiction of the Whitefield Cyber Crime Police Station.

At Kadugodi, six SIM box devices, each with 32 SIM slots, were recovered, accounting for a total of 192 slots configured with e-SIM-provisioned connections from various telecom service providers. At Pattandur Agrahara, four devices, each with 32 SIM slots, were seized, accounting for another 128 slots.

The two facilities together had a capacity of 320 SIM connections. Investigators suspect that the devices formed part of an organised telecommunications setup used to facilitate fraudulent communications and related cybercrime activities.

The seized devices are being examined to establish their precise mode of operation and their links to the suspected offenders.

As part of the investigation, police also traced leads to Tiroda in Maharashtra's Gondia district regarding the alleged sale of SIM cards and their conversion into e-SIM profiles for use in the network.

Four accused persons have been arrested so far in connection with the case. The arrests mark a development in efforts to trace the procurement, provisioning and supply of e-SIM resources allegedly used in the suspected cybercrime operation. The arrested accused are suspected of involvement in activities connected with the e-SIM supply chain.

Further investigation is underway to establish the individual roles of the accused, identify other persons involved and determine possible links between the SIM/e-SIM supply chain and suspected digital-arrest scams, sextortion and other financial cyber frauds.

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