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4 held in Bengaluru with 320 SIM slots for suspected cyber…

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activeCyber Crime / Digital ArrestKarnataka

4 held in Bengaluru with 320 SIM slots for suspected cyber fraud worth hundreds of crores

Karnataka Police's Cyber Command and the Department of Telecommunications dismantled an alleged illegal SIM-box network operating from two apartments in Bengaluru's Whitefield division. The operation followed a complaint from Bharti Airtel Limited's Chief Circle Nodal Officer regarding the unauthorized use of Airtel SIM cards. Investigators recovered ten SIM-box devices with a total capacity of 320 SIM connections from locations in Kadugodi and Pattandur Agrahara.

State

Karnataka

First reported

October 2026

Estimated financial exposure

Hundreds of crores of rupees (preliminary investigative estimate)

Agencies involved

Karnataka Police Cyber Command, Whitefield Cyber Crime Police Station, and Department of Telecommunications (DoT)

Arrests

Four people arrested in Maharashtra

Equipment seized

10 SIM-box devices with a combined capacity of 320 SIM connections

Case registration

Crime No. 286/2026 registered on August 26, 2026

Status

Under active investigation by police

The full story

Everything you need to know about this case, in one place.

Police stated that the seized equipment, which included e-SIM connections from various providers, formed part of an organized telecommunications setup allegedly used to facilitate fraudulent communications. Authorities are investigating potential links between this infrastructure and widespread cyber crimes, including digital-arrest scams, sextortion, and financial fraud.

Following leads on the e-SIM supply chain, investigators traced operations to Tiroda in Maharashtra's Gondia district. Four individuals from Maharashtra were arrested in connection with the alleged procurement and provisioning of the SIM resources. While preliminary investigative estimates suggest the wider network's potential financial exposure could reach hundreds of crores of rupees, authorities noted that exact losses, confirmed victim counts, and individual roles remain under investigation.

Not yet reported: The articles do not specify the exact individual roles of the arrested persons or the final verified financial losses suffered by victims.

Where the case stands

The latest position in the reports we read.

Four people have been arrested, and the seized equipment and e-SIM supply chain are currently under examination by investigators.

Who was affected

Described in general terms; we do not name victims.

The specific number of victims and individual financial losses have not yet been established, though investigators suspect the network's communications targeted people across India.

Timeline

Key dates as reported, oldest first.

August 26, 2026The Whitefield Cyber Crime Police Station registered a case following a complaint from Bharti Airtel Limited regarding unauthorized SIM card usage.

October 2026Karnataka Police's Cyber Command and the Department of Telecommunications raided two apartments in Whitefield, seizing 10 SIM-box devices and arresting four people in Maharashtra.

How the scam worked

The method described in the reports.

Fraudsters set up illegal telecommunications setups using SIM-box devices or GSM gateways in rented apartments.
SIM cards were procured and converted into e-SIM profiles by the network.
Multiple SIM connections were inserted into the SIM-box devices to route calls and messages through telecom networks.
The equipment was allegedly used to mask the true origin of communications and facilitate large-scale fraudulent activities such as digital-arrest scams and financial cyber frauds.

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Keep reading

More cases like this one.

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Sources and further reading

Optional. The full story is above; these are the original reports it was prepared from.

nationpathindia.comOriginal report thenorthlines.comOriginal report aninews.inOriginal report ThePrintOpens via Google News

Prepared by Report Scams, with the help of AI, from the published reports listed above. Check those reports for the latest. Cases here describe allegations. An FIR, arrest or charge is not a finding of guilt. To report a mistake, or to ask for a correction or removal, write to our Grievance Officer. See also the Safe Posting policy.