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Four arrested over illegal SIM box network suspected of…

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activeCyber Crime / Digital ArrestPan India

Four arrested over illegal SIM box network suspected of aiding cyberfrauds

The Karnataka Cyber Command Unit announced the arrest of four individuals allegedly involved in operating an illegal SIM box network from two apartments in Whitefield, east Bengaluru. Investigators suspect the setup was utilized to facilitate various cybercrimes, including financial frauds, sextortion, and digital arrest scams. The operation came to light following a complaint from the Chief Circle nodal officer of Bharti Airtel Limited regarding the unauthorized use of telecom cards in a SIM box arrangement.

State

Multiple States

First reported

October 2026

Agency involved

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

Arrests

Four people arrested

Recoveries

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

Potential financial exposure

Estimated preliminarily in the hundreds of crores of rupees

Status

Under investigation

The full story

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

A joint operation conducted by the Whitefield Cyber Crime Police Station and the Department of Telecommunications led to raids at two separate facilities in Kadugodi and Pattandur Agrahara. Authorities recovered a total of 10 SIM box devices possessing a combined capacity of 320 SIM connections. Police established that both locations were operated by the same network of accused persons and used to route fraudulent communications.

Further inquiries tracked related leads to Tiroda in the Gondia district of Maharashtra, focusing on the alleged procurement of SIM cards and their conversion into e-SIM profiles for the network. Preliminary estimates by the agency suggest the broader fraudulent network could involve financial exposure scaling into hundreds of crores of rupees. Authorities are continuing their investigations to identify additional suspects and determine the exact roles of those arrested.

Not yet reported: The articles do not specify the exact identities of the victims, the court outcomes, or the final calculated financial losses.

Where the case stands

The latest position in the reports we read.

Four individuals have been arrested and authorities are continuing their investigation to determine individual roles, identify other suspects, and trace potential links across the SIM and e-SIM supply chain.

Who was affected

Described in general terms; we do not name victims.

The specific victims and exact financial losses are yet to be established by investigators, though the network is suspected of links to digital arrest scams, sextortion, and financial cyberfrauds affecting the public.

Timeline

Key dates as reported, oldest first.

August 26The Cyber Crime Police Station in Whitefield registered a case following a complaint from Bharti Airtel Limited.

Thursday (prior to the announcement)The Karnataka Cyber Command Unit announced the arrest of four individuals in connection with the illegal SIM box network.

How the scam worked

The method described in the reports.

Procuring SIM cards through an illicit supply chain.
Converting physical SIM cards into e-SIM profiles.
Installing multiple SIM box devices in rented apartments.
Using the devices to route unauthorized and fraudulent communications, thereby concealing the actual callers' identities.

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Sources and further reading

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

thehindu.comOriginal report The HinduOpens via Google News Cyber Command busts illegal SIM box network linked to cybercrimes in Bengaluru - Deccan Herald

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