Over 16,000 pre-activated SIM cards seized from cybercriminal gang in Odisha

The Odisha Police busted a gang selling pre-activated SIM cards to cyber criminals outside the state with help from employees of private telecom operators and recovered 16,000 pre-activated SIM cards and more than 150 mobile phones from the seven accused, a police officer said.

“The racket was operating by arranging pre-activated SIM cards which they used to send gangs sitting outside, mostly [in] Rajasthan, for various cyber crimes. While investigating a case in Bhubaneswar, we learnt that such a racket is operating out of Bhadrak town,” said Saumendra Priyadarshi, police commissioner, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack commissionerate.

Pre-activated SIM cards are preferred by criminals as they are obtained on forged identity documents and thus can’t be traced back to the persons using them.