Assam Police Arrests Key Suspect in Cybercrime SIM Card Racket

Major Arrest in Cybercrime Investigation

Guwahati, June 2: Assam Police have apprehended a key suspect involved in an inter-state operation that supplied SIM cards to cybercriminals, including individuals from Pakistan, for the purpose of creating fraudulent WhatsApp accounts to scam victims. This information was disclosed in an official statement on Sunday.

The suspect was taken into custody by the Special Task Force (STF) during a raid in Dhubri on Saturday night, as part of the ongoing initiative dubbed 'Operation Ghost SIM'.

This operation was initiated following intelligence received from the Military Intelligence of the Gajraj Corps.

During the raid, authorities seized a laptop, two mobile devices, three micro ATM machines, a biometric device, six ATM cards, 11 voter ID cards, one Aadhaar card, and one PAN card, according to the statement.

With this latest arrest, the total number of individuals detained under 'Operation Ghost SIM' has reached 11.

"The interrogation of the suspect is currently in progress, and further updates will be shared as the investigation unfolds," the statement noted.

Previously, the STF had made significant progress in this case, arresting seven individuals last month as part of the same operation.

According to Director General of Police (DGP) Harmeet Singh, the operation was launched based on intelligence regarding a racket operating across Assam, Rajasthan, and Telangana.

The criminal network was reportedly acquiring SIM cards under various aliases and distributing them to criminals for use in cybercrimes and potentially anti-national activities.