From the SIM box communication systems put in place in two rented houses in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, Mandal used to reroute international calls to Pakistan, China and West Asia.
Repesentational Image: iStock
Odisha police have arrested a man of West Bengal origin, who was operating as a handler of a Bangladesh-based SIM-box communication racket, in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, police said on Sunday.
It was an organized cybercrime syndicate with proven foreign links. The arrested accused Raju Mandal, a native from West Bengal, was a conduit with the larger syndicate operation from across the border.
From the SIM box communication systems put in place in two rented houses in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, Mandal used to reroute international calls to Pakistan, China and West Asia.
Advertisement
A Bangladesh national identified as Asadur Jaman was the mastermind of the racket of which Mandal acted as the local handler, said a senior police official.
Further investigation of the matter is under way. And the accused is subjected to intense questioning to elicit vital clues on the modus operandi of the racket. As foreign links have been established, suspected subversive and anti-national activities by the gang may not be ruled out.
If required, Odisha police may seek assistance from any national investigating agency and also Interpol given the fact the kingpin of the racket is a Bangladeshi citizen, Commissioner of Police of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate, Sanjeeb Panda said.
Besides the SIM boxes, more than 1,000 pre-activated SIMs and other equipment were recovered from the accused person. The cybercriminals used to text messages through pre-activated SIMs to deceive people.
The SIMs are used in SIM boxes (Machine based numbers) to defraud people in various parts of the country and even abroad. It’s a handy operational modus operandi for the cybercriminals.
These boxes are also used to hide original phone numbers. It is a handy tool for commission of cybercrime, hate speech, terrorist acts, extortion, and other illegal activities, posing challenges for law enforcement agencies, police added.
Advertisement
