They came to check your BP, left with your data: Fake medical camps fed SIMs for digital arrest scams

Investigators uncovered a cybercrime operation where individuals set up fake medical camps across Uttar Pradesh, including Ayodhya, Mathura, and Lucknow, to steal personal data. Operating under the guise of offering basic healthcare services like blood pressure and blood sugar checks, the organizers coerced visitors into handing over identity documents such as voter cards and Aadhaar cards.

The scheme initially involved two middlemen from Mathura who connected SIM card sellers and buyers on social media platforms like Facebook. After buying SIM cards for a low price and reselling them for a profit, the accused decided to directly harvest identity documents at these fake medical camps to procure e-SIMs, which were subsequently used to facilitate digital arrest scams.

The operation came to light after a resident of Delhi filed a complaint alleging a loss of Rs 1.64 crore through digital arrest over a two-week period. Following technical analysis of mobile numbers, police traced the network to the Vrindavan-Mathura region in Uttar Pradesh and arrested two suspects, seizing mobile phones and multiple SIM cards.

Authorities stated that at least 20 complaints linked to the network have been registered on the National Cyber Reporting Platform. The arrested individuals have been formally booked for cheating and forging documents or electronic records as the investigation into the wider network continues.

Not yet reported: The articles do not mention the full extent of financial losses across all victims or the total number of e-SIMs generated through the fake camps.