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Lucknow Police have seized six illegal SIM boxes and a range of telecommunications equipment during raids at four locations as investigators widen their probe into infrastructure allegedly used for digital arrest scams. The operation, conducted under Operation Digital Kavach, uncovered equipment capable of operating 192 SIM cards simultaneously.
The seizure marks a new development in a suspected SIM-box network previously investigated in Varanasi, where police arrested two people in October and identified a Lucknow-based alleged mastermind who remained absconding. Local reports have identified the suspect as Saugat Asthana, who is now being sought in connection with the Lucknow premises as well.
The latest raids were carried out by teams from the cyber police station and cybercrime cell on October 31. No arrests were reported during the operation, and police have sent the recovered equipment for technical examination.
Four Locations Raided Across Lucknow
The coordinated searches covered four locations: Swati Apartment in Sushant Golf City, Ashirwad Building in Adarsh Vihar in Para, Gold Line Apartment in BBD and GJ Paradise in Adarsh Nagar in Chinhat.
Police recovered six 32-port SIM boxes, which together provide 192 SIM slots. The other equipment included three VPN gateways, 21 smart switches, three smart hubs, four inverter or UPS units and 18 batteries.
Investigators also seized a locked tablet, Wi-Fi routers, security cameras and other electronic devices. The scale of the recovery suggests that the premises were equipped to support a substantial call-routing operation, although the exact volume of calls handled through the setup has not yet been established.
According to police officials, the investigation began after a technical alert involving a suspicious mobile number. Officers examined call detail records and other technical information before seeking inputs from telecom and internet service providers.
The resulting analysis helped investigators identify high-speed internet connections and locations suspected to be associated with the number. Teams subsequently conducted simultaneous searches at the four premises.
Suspected Network Linked To Earlier Varanasi Seizure
The Lucknow operation follows a separate police action in Varanasi in October, when investigators seized six SIM boxes with 192 slots from three rented premises and arrested two alleged members of a suspected cybercrime network.
The arrested men were identified as Mohammad Abid and Shashi Shekhar Singh. Police had named Saugat Asthana, a Lucknow resident, as an alleged mastermind who was still absconding.
Investigators in the Varanasi case had linked a mule bank account to 41 cybercrime complaints from different parts of the country. One account had allegedly received ₹25 lakh from a woman in Pune who was targeted in a digital arrest scam.
The subsequent Lucknow raids have brought the investigation closer to the alleged operator’s home base. Local reporting says the four premises were rented by Asthana and that police are searching for him. The connection between the earlier Varanasi operation and the latest seizure is an important part of the ongoing investigation.
The Lucknow Police have not yet disclosed the full calling records or identified all the people who may have operated the equipment. The seized devices are being examined to establish their actual use, identify the SIM cards and analyse call patterns.
How SIM Boxes Can Hide The Origin Of Fraudulent Calls
A SIM box is a device that can hold multiple SIM cards and connect internet-based calls to mobile networks. When combined with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems and VPN gateways, it can be used to route calls through mobile connections and make an international call appear to originate from a local telephone number.
This can make it harder for victims to recognise suspicious calls and complicate efforts to trace the people making them. In digital arrest scams, fraudsters often impersonate police officers, CBI officials or other government authorities, claiming that the victim is involved in a criminal investigation.
They then use threats of arrest, interrogation or legal action to pressure victims into transferring money. A call appearing to come from an Indian mobile number can make the impersonation more convincing.
Police have said that such infrastructure can facilitate large-scale calling and conceal the actual source of communications. However, the technical examination of the Lucknow equipment is still required to establish which devices and SIM cards were used and how they were connected to specific fraud cases.
What This Means For Digital Arrest Investigations
The seizure highlights how cybercrime investigations increasingly involve telecom infrastructure and call-routing systems, not just bank accounts and the people who receive stolen money.
Identifying SIM boxes, internet connections and the people renting premises can help investigators trace the infrastructure supporting fraudulent calls. The next stage will be to examine the seized devices, match SIM cards and call records with reported fraud cases, and establish the roles of those allegedly operating the network.
For victims, the use of a familiar Indian phone number should not be treated as proof that a caller represents a government agency. Police officers and investigators do not place people under a legitimate digital arrest through video calls or demand immediate transfers of money to clear an investigation.
The Lucknow case remains under investigation. The identity of the network’s operators, the extent of its activities and its possible links to specific cyber-fraud complaints will depend on the forensic findings and further police action.
