Ahmedabad: Kagdapith Police Arrest Three With 108 Allegedly Pre-Activated SIM Cards
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Kagdapith police have arrested three people, including two men from Uttarakhand, after allegedly seizing 108 pre-activated SIM cards that investigators suspect were obtained using customers' biometric details without their knowledge and later sold at a premium.
The accused were allegedly activating multiple SIM cards in customers' names by misleading them during the biometric registration process, police said.
108 SIM Cards, Phones and Fingerprint Machines Seized
Acting on a tip-off, the Kagdapith police surveillance team kept watch in the area on Thursday and intercepted the three suspects.
Police seized 108 SIM cards of Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea, four mobile phones, five fingerprint machines and other equipment, with the total value of the seized property estimated at ₹1.09 lakh.
The seized SIM cards were valued at ₹86,400, while the four mobile phones were valued at ₹18,000 and the five fingerprint machines at ₹5,000, police said.
Two Accused From Uttarakhand
The arrested accused have been identified as Nahur Ali, 26, a resident of Haridwar district in Uttarakhand, who allegedly worked as a sales agent for a SIM card company; Kasif Ali, 20, also from Haridwar, who allegedly assisted him; and Harpal Singh Rajendra Singh Parmar, 24, a resident of Raipur in Ahmedabad, who allegedly purchased the SIM cards.
Customers Allegedly Misled During Biometric Registration
According to police, the accused allegedly followed a modus operandi in which customers were told that their SIM registration had failed after biometric verification and needed to be completed again.
During the process, the accused allegedly activated two or three additional SIM cards in the customer's name without their knowledge. These allegedly pre-activated SIM cards were then sold to other persons at higher prices.
A case has been registered at Kagdapith police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Telecommunications Act, 2023.
Police are investigating where the SIM cards were supplied and whether any of them were subsequently used in cybercrime or other offences.
