In a major crackdown on cybercrime, Visakhapatnam City Police have arrested 10 agents accused of illegally activating hundreds of SIM cards, which were later used by cybercriminals to execute online frauds across the country.
According to officials, the arrests followed a detailed investigation by the Cybercrime Wing, which uncovered how telecom retail agents exploited loopholes in the SIM activation process to create fake customer identities and sell those SIMs at high prices to criminal syndicates operating nationwide.
Fraudulent Activation Using Customer IDs
Investigators found that the accused agents manipulated biometric verification systems during legitimate SIM activation. They would falsely inform customers that their iris or fingerprint scans were not captured correctly and needed to be retaken.
Using these excuses, they cloned the customers’ IDs to activate multiple additional SIM cards without their knowledge. These illegally issued SIMs were then sold to cybercriminals who used them for scams, fraud calls, and identity concealment.
Police said the racket exploited gaps in telecom verification protocols, highlighting an urgent need for stricter monitoring of telecom distributors and retail franchises.
Ten Agents Across Three Districts Held
The operation led to arrests across West Godavari, Krishna, and Guntur districts.
- In Nidadavole (West Godavari), two Vodafone agents — Ganta Ramakrishna and Adapa Kondababu — were arrested for activating 500–600 fake SIM cards.
- In Pedana (Krishna district), five Airtel agents were detained for creating 300–350 fake SIM cards.
- In Cherukupally (Guntur district), three individuals associated with Jio services were found to have activated 200–300 fraudulent connections.
Officials estimate that the group collectively enabled the creation of over 1,000 illegal SIM cards, which were later distributed to multiple cybercrime networks.
Fake SIMs Used in Nationwide Scams
Police revealed that these SIM cards were used to create thousands of fake email IDs and social media accounts on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and WhatsApp.
The fake accounts were instrumental in executing a range of cybercrimes, including digital arrest scams, illegal betting operations, tax and investment frauds, and even artificial inflation of YouTube views.
Authorities also suspect that some of these SIM cards were sold to international cybercrime syndicates, enabling them to operate under false Indian identities and evade cross-border tracking.
SIM Box Devices Used to Mask Locations
During the investigation, the police also discovered that several fraudsters were using SIM Box technology — devices capable of holding between 90 and 360 SIM cards — to route internet-based calls through local telecom networks.
This method allowed international scam calls to appear as local numbers, effectively masking the true origin of the calls. The technology has become a growing concern for law enforcement as it helps criminals disguise their location while defrauding Indian citizens.
Officials said the use of SIM Box systems represents a sophisticated form of telecom abuse, merging technology with identity theft to expand cybercrime operations undetected.
Public Advisory and Preventive Measures
Police have urged citizens to remain alert and regularly check if unknown SIM cards are registered under their name. For this, authorities have advised the use of the TAFCOP module on the Sanchar Saathi portal, launched by the Department of Telecommunications.
Through TAFCOP, users can view all active SIMs linked to their Aadhaar number and report any unauthorised connections for deactivation.
A senior officer from the Visakhapatnam City Police said, “This crackdown exposes a crucial link in the cybercrime supply chain — the illegal SIM activators. By targeting these middlemen, we can severely disrupt online fraud operations.”
He added that further investigation is underway to trace the financial transactions, telecom data, and criminal beneficiaries connected to this racket. More arrests are expected in the coming days as police continue to coordinate with telecom companies and central cyber agencies.
