Assam's Bongaigaon Police bust suspected SIM card fraud racket, detain three

Assam's Bongaigaon Police have detained three persons allegedly linked to a SIM card fraud racket operating in Bongaigaon and other areas for a prolonged period.

The detained individuals have been identified as Ahmed Ali of Barpathargaon, Giyas Uddin Ahmed of Bartalowa village and Dipen Chandra Roy of Deuripara, Bongaigaon.

According to police, the trio was allegedly involved in fraudulently obtaining SIM cards using identity documents of people without their knowledge and subsequently supplying the SIM cards for use in various cybercrimes.

Police also suspect that the accused had been illegally obtaining SIM cards in the names of ordinary people and allegedly facilitating their use by cybercriminals.

During the operation, police seized 134 SIM cards, 39 Aadhaar cards, 13 voter ID cards, 11 PAN cards, three e-Shram cards, three Ayushman cards, two ATM cards and two COVID-19 vaccination cards from the detained individuals.

The recovery has raised concerns over the alleged misuse of personal identity documents for cyber-enabled crimes and fraudulent activities.

Bongaigaon Police have launched a detailed investigation to ascertain the full extent of the alleged racket, identify other persons involved and determine how the identity documents and SIM cards were being procured and distributed.