Police in Tamil Nadu have uncovered international cyber scam that operated quietly from neighborhoods around Chennai and Madurai. Using advanced devices known as SIM Boxes, the network helped overseas gangs mask their origins, making scam calls feel as familiar as those from a local bank or phone company—until officers began connecting the dots.
A Quiet Break in the Case
It started with a sweep, not the usual city commotion. State cyber crime officers, following months of digital sleuthing, moved in on gated communities and homes. Their target: small, nondescript boxes—SIM Boxes, tucked away but powerful, able to turn thousands of internet calls into what appeared, at least on caller ID, to be ordinary local rings. Sandeep Mittal, Tamil Nadu’s top cyber crime official, explained that calls had been traced back to scam centers in Cambodia, Laos, and other countries, but for those on the receiving end in India, nothing seemed amiss. This tactic, he said, “lets international criminals look homegrown, hiding in plain sight”.
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Local Recruits, Global Influence
The operation’s reach stunned investigators. Two men, one from Ramanathapuram, the other from Pattukkottai, were picked up and questioned. Soon, a larger web became clear. The men had been promised steady commission payments for housing the SIM Boxes, equipment shipped in from China. The task wasn’t technical—just plug it in and let the calls flow. In Chennai’s Kanathur and Kelambakkam, in Madurai, these devices hummed quietly as part of a massive scam engine.
But money—the heart of the pitch—didn’t always arrive. Growing restless, the operators were told to deliver the devices to another local contact: a young man in Rajamangalam named Sarath Kumar. Sarath, his brother, and others became the next links. Police, moving quickly, brought them in as well.
Following Paper Trails
Behind the technology, the scam relied on careful financial planning. Sarath shared that he had opened multiple bank and trust accounts on orders from the Chinese mastermind, aiming to keep money out of reach if police froze any one account. Officials said Sarath didn’t work alone; he had help from a relationship manager at a major bank in Chennai, who allegedly took bribes to grease the system and move money without questions. This manager was also arrested. Police then discovered another key detail—the SIM cards used to power the Boxes weren’t black market goods, but had been picked up at a regular Airtel store in Madurai. An employee, S. Pandeeswari, was found to be involved and was booked.
Scams in the Spotlight
Authorities say the Tamil Nadu investigation cut deep into a larger network, with new questions arising as suspects told their stories. The case, officials believe, should warn other states and countries about the ease with which everyday tools—bank accounts, courier packages, even mobile numbers from the nearest shop—can be bent to criminal ends. Further leads are being pursued, as officers look for more evidence pointing to the Chinese organizers behind it all. The message theseraids send, a senior investigator remarked, is one of “zero tolerance for digital fraud, no matter where it starts.