Jharsuguda: In a major crackdown under the “Cyber Kavach” initiative, Rengali police on Monday detected and took action in a case involving the alleged illegal sale of pre-activated SIM cards using forged identities of innocent citizens.
Acting on inputs received from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and after analyzing cybercrime cases, call detail records (CDRs) and SIM activation data, a team from Rengali police station conducted a search at a mobile shop named Purushottam Communication located at Gobindpur Chowk near NH-49 under Rengali police limits on February 17.
During the investigation, police found that an Airtel SIM card activated by the shop was allegedly used in multiple cyber financial fraud cases registered through the NCRP. The cases reportedly involved a total fraud amount of approximately Rs 14,99,600.
During the search operation, police seized 27 SIM cards of various service providers. Of these, three SIM cards were found to be pre-activated and ready for immediate use without proper verification. Police also recovered one biometric device allegedly used for unauthorized KYC processing and three mobile handsets suspected to have been used for activation and testing of SIM cards.
The accused, identified as Purushottam Gardia (30), son of Rusabha Gardia of Kudabaga village under Rengali police station in Jharsuguda district, has been arrested on Tuesday. Further investigation is underway to ascertain possible links with larger cyber fraud networks.
Jharsuguda police have appealed to the public to avoid sharing identity documents with unauthorized persons, regularly verify mobile numbers issued in their name, and report suspicious SIM-related activities to the nearest police station or through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in).
Police said the operation is part of an ongoing drive to curb cybercrime and strengthen digital security in the district.
