Back-to-back complaints expose illegal SIM box operations in Whitefield

Two telecom companies have lodged separate complaints with the Whitefield CEN Crime Police alleging the operation of illegal SIM Box/GSM Gateway telephone exchanges in the Whitefield area, raising concerns over unlawful call routing, cyber fraud and misuse of telecom resources.

In the first case, Chief Circle Nodal Officer of Bharti Airtel Limited, approached the police, following information received from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on August 15 and the Police Department on August 25.

The case was registered on August 26 under Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000; Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023; and Section 42(3)(d) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023.

According to the complaint, Airtel SIM cards, including mobile number and several associated numbers, were allegedly being used in an illegal SIM Box setup operating in Whitefield and Kadugodi.

The company alleged that the arrangement was facilitating unlawful routing of telecommunications traffic, resulting in potential financial losses to the company and loss of government revenue. It also raised concerns over unauthorized telecom services, misuse of telecom resources and possible impact on lawful interception mechanisms and national security.

In a similar complaint, Manager of Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, also approached the Whitefield CEN Crime Police regarding an alleged illegal SIM Box/GSM Gateway operation.

The Jio complaint was based on information received from the DoT through an email dated August 15 and a communication from the Police Department dated August 14.

The complaint states that mobile number subscribed in the name of Rahul Sharma, a resident of Rajasthan, was allegedly being used in an illegal SIM Box/GSM Gateway setup within the Whitefield area.

According to Jio, the setup could facilitate the conversion of VoIP and international calls and messages into local Indian calls and SMS, thereby concealing the actual source and identity of the users.

The telecom company alleged that such an arrangement could be used to facilitate cyber fraud and other unlawful activities, apart from causing revenue losses and unauthorized use of telecom infrastructure.

Both telecom companies have sought detailed investigation and seizure of the SIM Box/GSM Gateway equipment, SIM cards, networking devices and digital evidence, besides identification of those operating the alleged illegal exchanges.

The Whitefield CEN Crime Police are investigating the complaints to establish whether the two cases are connected and to identify the persons behind the alleged operations.