The Uttar Pradesh Police reported on Thursday that they had uncovered a racket involved in stealing the identities of Indian citizens. The stolen identities were allegedly used to facilitate cyber fraud from various Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. According to the Saharanpur police, a group was said to have fraudulently obtained SIM cards by using stolen identities and provided one-time passwords (OTPs) to foreign criminals, which enabled them to carry out extensive online fraud and human trafficking via digital platforms. Following a complaint, the police identified a gang that was systematically acquiring Aadhaar and PAN details, often through deceitful means, in order to issue SIM cards.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ashish Tiwari indicated that these SIMs were activated and utilized to relay OTPs to cybercriminals operating in Southeast Asia, who would then access Indian WhatsApp accounts to exploit them for illicit online activities.
How they stole identities
Elaborating on the modus operandi, an officer noted that the accused, Vipin, obtained multiple SIMs by using the Aadhaar details of individuals without informing them. These SIMs were subsequently handed over to accomplices responsible for delivering OTPs to foreign clients.
The officer further explained that another accused, Sachin Kumar, acted as a point-of-sale (PoS) agent for telecom firms. He collected customer data that was ultimately used for SIM activation. The police reported that Sachin often misled customers by claiming that their SIMs could not be issued due to technical issues. While in reality, he had already utilised their credentials to activate numerous SIMs.
According to police statements, Sachin was held responsible for activating over 1,000 SIM cards, which he distributed to associates. Two women from Uttarakhand, Huma and Anterfa, were also implicated in the scheme. They have allegedly received more than 1,700 SIM cards from Sachin.
They were said to have used these SIMs to provide OTPs in exchange for payments ranging from Rs 80 to Rs 100 per OTP. These women were reportedly part of international WhatsApp groups that advertised online job opportunities and had been trained in fraudulent methods by another accused, Mohtsin, who was already incarcerated on forgery charges.
How to check number of SIM cards registered in your name:
- To check for SIM cards registered in one's name, visit the Sanchar Saathi portal.
- On the portal, click on Citizen Centric Services section
- Then select the "Know Mobile Connections in Your Name" option.
- Entering mobile number and OTP to view any SIM cards issued in your name.
- If you discover any unfamiliar numbers, you can request to block it.
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