Karnataka Police have busted an illegal SIM-box network operating from two apartments in Bengaluru’s Whitefield area, uncovering telecom infrastructure suspected to have supported digital-arrest scams, sextortion and other cyber frauds across India.
The Cyber Command unit seized 10 SIM-box devices capable of handling a combined 320 mobile connections.
Police also traced the supply of SIM cards and e-SIM profiles to Maharashtra’s Gondia district, where four people were arrested in connection with the network.
Investigators say the financial exposure linked to the wider operation could potentially run into hundreds of crores of rupees, though the exact loss has not yet been established.
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Two Apartments Were Used as Telecom Hubs
The investigation began after Bharti Airtel’s Chief Circle Nodal Officer in Bengaluru complained about the unauthorised use of Airtel SIM cards in a SIM-box setup.
Whitefield Cyber Crime Police registered a case on August 26 and began tracing the infrastructure behind the suspicious connections.
The investigation eventually led police to two separate apartments, one in Kadugodi and another in Pattandur Agrahara.
A joint operation involving Karnataka Police and the Department of Telecommunications found six SIM-box devices at the Kadugodi location.
Each device had 32 SIM slots, giving that location a capacity of 192 connections.
Another four devices were found at Pattandur Agrahara, adding 128 more slots.
Together, the two facilities could handle 320 mobile connections.
Police say both locations were operated by the same network.
What a SIM Box Does
A SIM box, also known as a GSM gateway, can hold or control multiple SIM connections and route large volumes of calls or messages through mobile networks.
The technology has legitimate commercial applications.
But criminals can misuse it to disguise the real origin of calls, operate large numbers of mobile connections and make fraudulent communications appear to come from ordinary Indian phone numbers.
That can be particularly useful in scams where criminals impersonate police officers, bank officials or government agencies.
A fraudster sitting outside India can route a call through a SIM-box setup inside the country.
To the victim, the incoming call may then appear to originate from an Indian mobile number.
That makes the scam more convincing and also complicates efforts to trace the person actually making the call.
Police suspect the Whitefield infrastructure was used in precisely this type of organised fraud.
Network Linked to Digital Arrest and Sextortion Cases
Preliminary investigation has linked the telecom setup to suspected digital-arrest scams, sextortion and other financial cyber frauds.
In digital-arrest scams, criminals typically pose as police, CBI, customs or other government officials.
Victims are falsely told that their Aadhaar number, bank account or mobile connection is linked to a criminal case.
They are then pressured to remain on video calls and transfer money under the claim that the funds need to be “verified”.
Sextortion cases often involve criminals threatening to release intimate images or fabricated videos unless victims pay money.
Both types of fraud depend heavily on anonymous or difficult-to-trace communication infrastructure.
SIM boxes can allow criminal groups to operate large numbers of connections without relying on one easily identifiable phone.
Police are now examining the seized devices to determine which individual fraud cases may be linked to the Whitefield setup.
e-SIM Supply Chain Traced to Maharashtra
The investigation did not end with the Bengaluru apartments.
Police followed leads connected to how the mobile connections were being obtained and activated.
That trail led investigators to Tiroda in Maharashtra’s Gondia district.
According to police, SIM cards were allegedly being supplied and converted into e-SIM profiles before being provisioned for use in the illegal network.
Four people were arrested in connection with that supply chain.
Investigators are now trying to establish who procured the SIM cards, who provided identity documents for activation and who ultimately controlled the Whitefield infrastructure.
Those details could help identify the wider criminal network behind the fraud communications.
Hundreds of Crores May Be Linked to Wider Operation
Police have not yet established the total number of victims or the exact financial losses connected to the setup.
However, preliminary leads suggest fraud associated with the wider network could potentially involve hundreds of crores of rupees.
That figure remains under investigation and should not be treated as a confirmed loss amount.
Investigators are examining the devices, telecom records and e-SIM provisioning trail to map connections with cybercrime complaints filed across the country.
The case highlights how major online scams increasingly depend on physical infrastructure.
Fraud operations may appear completely digital to victims, but behind them can be apartments filled with telecom equipment, activated SIM connections and specialised routing systems.
Breaking that infrastructure can therefore disrupt multiple scam operations at once.
What this means for you:
An Indian mobile number does not prove that the caller is physically in India or represents a genuine authority. Never transfer money merely because a caller claims to be from the police, CBI, customs or a bank.
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