CBI Cracks Down on SIM Box Fraud in Odisha and Bihar
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has intensified its fight against cyber‑enabled fraud by conducting searches at 10 locations across Bihar’s Vaishali district and Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district.
The operation uncovered a large‑scale illegal SIM Box racket, leading to the arrest of an Airtel distributor in Vaishali.
Investigators recovered over 1,300 SIM cards from Supaul, Bihar, linking them to at least 73 cybercrime cases nationwide.
Many of these cards were issued fraudulently, often by misusing biometric data or exploiting multiple e‑KYC authorisations.
The arrested distributor allegedly issued more than 700 SIM cards using credentials from multiple Points of Sale.
Authorities revealed that the SIM cards were used in scams such as the “Digital Arrest” modus operandi, where victims are coerced into transferring money under false pretences.
The CBI is probing offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the IT Act, and the Telecommunications Act, 2022, covering charges of cheating, forgery, extortion, and identity theft.
This crackdown highlights the growing threat of cyber‑enabled fraud and the misuse of telecom infrastructure, with investigators vowing to expand the probe to dismantle the wider network.
