Naga woman arrested in Gurugram for allegedly aiding China-based cyber fraudsters

A 30-year-old woman from Nagaland has been arrested in Gurugram for allegedly assisting China-based cyber fraudsters by operating a virtual SIM box from a rented apartment, police said on February 16.

The accused, identified as Kung Panmae, a native of Dimapur currently residing in Sector 28, Gurugram, was apprehended during a joint operation carried out by Gurugram Police and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

According to police officials, the east cyber police station received specific inputs on February 10 about a couple running an illegal telephone exchange from a rented accommodation in Sector 28. Acting on the information, a team led by ACP Priyanshu Dewan conducted a raid at the location.

During the search, police recovered seven mobile phones, including three smartphones, one keypad phone, and three damaged handsets, along with a WiFi modem, three SIM cards, and a broken laptop. Three of the mobile phones were found actively making automatic calls to Indian numbers through an application identified as VDMS Apk App.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused, along with her husband, had installed a virtual SIM box setup at the rented premises on behalf of cyber fraudsters operating from China. The system allegedly enabled international Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) calls to be converted into local calls, allowing fraudsters abroad to target Indian citizens without raising suspicion.

Police said the network was used to carry out various cybercrimes, including digital arrest scams, online gaming fraud, and investment fraud. The woman’s role was reportedly to keep the devices charged and connected to the internet, ensuring uninterrupted operation, while her husband allegedly received commission for facilitating the setup.

Officials said such illegal VOIP routing systems are highly sophisticated and pose serious risks, including threats to national security, as they can be used for covert communications.