Bhadrak SIM Card Racket Busted | Two Arrested for Aadhaar Misuse
In a major crackdown on cyber fraud, Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh Police, with assistance from Bhandaripokhari Police in Odisha, busted an illegal SIM card racket in Bhadrak district.
Two individuals — Santosh Khuntia, a mobile shop owner, and Maheswar Khuntia of Tarago village — were arrested and produced before the Bhadrak Court before being taken to Delhi on transit remand.
Investigators revealed that Santosh Khuntia was activating multiple SIM cards using unsuspecting customers’ Aadhaar details.
While one SIM was handed to the customer, additional activated SIMs were allegedly sold to unidentified buyers at inflated prices. During interrogation, Santosh named his associate Maheswar, leading to his arrest.
Authorities confirmed that several SIM cards from this racket were later linked to criminal activities in Delhi and beyond.
The case surfaced after an illegal SIM was seized in connection with a Shaheen Bagh Police Station case (No. 403/25).
Delhi Police’s Cyber Cell is now probing deeper to identify other links in the racket and trace the end users of these illegally activated SIM cards.
This bust highlights growing concerns over the misuse of Aadhaar data and the rising threat of pre‑activated SIM cards being exploited for criminal purposes.
