Follow us on Google News
Lucknow police have uncovered an illegal telecom network suspected of routing international calls to execute digital arrest scams and cyber frauds across multiple states. Acting under Operation Digital Kavach, joint teams from the Cyber Crime Unit and Crime Branch conducted simultaneous raids across four residential complexes in the state capital. Officers seized six 32-port SIM boxes with an aggregate capacity of 192 SIM slots, alongside three VPN gateways, 21 smart switches, three smart hubs, four inverter and UPS units, 18 batteries, Wi-Fi routers, a locked tablet, and CCTV monitoring systems. Preliminary findings indicate the clandestine infrastructure was designed to convert internet-based international traffic into local Indian cellular calls, masking foreign origins to deceive victims.
Simultaneous Raids Uncover Four Rented Hubs
The operation followed technical intelligence tracking a suspicious mobile number, prompting investigators to scrutinize Call Detail Records, traffic patterns, and telecom data. Further inquiries with internet service providers led officers to high-speed connections installed in rented properties across Sushant Golf City, Para, BBD, and Chinhat. Coordinated search teams entered Swati Apartment in Sushant Golf City, Ashirwad Building in Para, Gold Line Apartment in BBD, and GJ Paradise in Chinhat. Investigators established that all four sites had been leased by a suspect named Saugat Asthana, who remains absconding. Police recovered two identification cards in his name showing conflicting addresses in Kanpur and Sushant Golf City. No arrests occurred during the raids, and efforts continue to identify associates who managed the technical hardware or profited from the operations.
Varanasi Arrests Led Investigators to Lucknow Network
The breakthrough in the state capital stems from an earlier cyber fraud crackdown in Varanasi. During an October investigation, Varanasi police recovered SIM boxes and arrested two individuals, whose interrogation brought Asthana to the attention of cybercrime officials. Forensic examiners are now evaluating call records, data logs, and financial transactions to determine whether the Lucknow setup directly facilitated specific cyber complaints. Detectives are also identifying which states were targeted through the equipment. A formal case has been registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station to establish the full operational footprint and examine potential links to wider interstate or cross-border syndicates.
Technology Deployed to Power Digital Arrest Operations
A SIM box functions by housing numerous active mobile cards, allowing voice over internet protocol calls to terminate seamlessly onto domestic cellular networks. When integrated with VPN gateways, the hardware conceals the physical location of overseas callers, presenting an Indian mobile number on the recipient’s screen. Fraudsters exploit this mechanism during digital arrest scams, falsely posing as officers from law enforcement agencies, the Central Bureau of Investigation, or the Enforcement Directorate. Posing against staged backdrops via video links, the operators threaten targets with fabricated criminal proceedings to extort financial transfers under the guise of official verification. All seized devices have been transferred for forensic review as authorities trace the remaining members of the network.
