In a significant action against cybercrime, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed cases against 39 point-of-sale (PoS) operators accused of distributing over a thousand “ghost SIM” cards to cybercriminals based in Southeast Asia. These individuals allegedly facilitated the illegal issuance of SIM cards that were later used in fraudulent activities targeting Indian citizens. The crackdown follows surveillance initiated by the Ministry of Home Affairs’ 14C unit, which tracked SIM cards from Indian telecom operators being used in Southeast Asian regions.
Reports indicate that out of 1,930 PoS operators investigated, 84 were flagged for suspicious activity based on multiple user complaints. Among them, 39 were found to be actively generating ghost SIM cards. These cards were reportedly issued using fraudulent E-KYC procedures. PoS agents would mislead customers by claiming their first verification attempt had failed, keeping the additional SIM generated in their name and passing it to cybercriminals, all without the customer’s knowledge.
These ghost SIMs were then used to defraud unsuspecting victims and create fake bank accounts, enabling large-scale scams. The CBI suspects that certain telecom operator officials may have colluded in activating these illicit SIMs. As part of Operation Chakra V, the agency has conducted nationwide raids, arrested at least five people, and continues to investigate internal links within the telecom sector.
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