Uttarakhand SIM Box Bust: STF Cracks Illegal Telecom Gateway With 114 SIMs In Udham Singh Nagar
UTTARAKHAND: The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has busted an alleged illegal telecom gateway operating through SIM boxes in BAJPUR, UDHAM SINGH NAGAR, and arrested a 24-year-old man from MORADABAD. The Uttarakhand SIM box bust uncovered two SIM boxes, 114 Airtel SIM cards, 77 antennas, an internet router and other telecom equipment, according to police officials. The operation was conducted with the Department of Telecommunications.
STF Raid Uncovers Illegal Telecom Gateway
The raid followed intelligence gathering over an alleged SIM-box operation at a house near the Idgah area of Mudiya in Bajpur. The arrested man was identified as Qadir, a resident of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh.
The illegal telecom gateway was allegedly being used to convert foreign and internet-based VoIP calls into calls that appeared to originate from Indian mobile numbers. This can make it harder to identify the actual source of a call and has been associated by investigators with various forms of cyber fraud.
According to India Today, the seized equipment included two SIM boxes, 77 antennas, 114 Airtel SIM cards, an Airtel internet router and a Samsung A35 smartphone.
Bangladesh Links Under Investigation
The cyber crime India angle has become a key part of the investigation. Police said preliminary questioning indicated that Qadir had been in contact with cybercriminals in Bangladesh and allegedly received financial benefits through those contacts.
Authorities have not established the full extent of the suspected cross-border network. Investigators are examining his foreign contacts, bank accounts, cyber links and the possible involvement of other people.
Police also said SIM cards obtained by misusing different individuals’ identities were being used in the setup. The finding is significant because SIM-box networks can provide fraud operators with large numbers of apparently local telephone numbers.
Accused Had Earlier SIM Box Case
The STF said the accused told investigators that he had been operating the gateway for around seven months. Police also found that he had previously faced action in MORADABAD in 2023 over another alleged illegal telecom gateway operated through SIM boxes.
That earlier case included allegations involving cheating and forgery, along with provisions of the Indian Telegraph Act. A separate case under the Gangsters Act was also registered against him in 2023, according to police records cited in the current investigation.
The Uttarakhand SIM box bust has now led investigators to examine whether the latest setup was connected to a larger network rather than operating independently.
Probe Focuses On Cyber Fraud Network
The STF said SIM-box technology can be misused in digital-arrest scams, impersonation fraud and other cyber offences. Such systems can route calls through local SIM cards, causing recipients to see an Indian number even when the original call is foreign or internet-based.
The investigation into the illegal telecom gateway remains underway. Authorities are also examining the role of people who may have supplied SIM cards using false, misused or other individuals’ identities.
The cyber crime India investigation could therefore extend beyond the arrested operator as officials work to identify the wider network, its financial links and any additional associates.
