The Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of Delhi Police has arrested two men accused of using health camps in villages as a front to collect Aadhaar and biometric details, which were allegedly misused to activate e-SIM cards for cybercriminals, according to reports on Friday, October 30.
Source: The Mainstream
The accused have been identified as Jitendra Singh, 29, and Brajesh Kumar, 21, both from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. Police said the two were apprehended during an operation on the intervening night of October 20 and 21.
According to police, the men allegedly organised community health camps in rural villages, presenting themselves as facilitators offering subsidised medicines, blood-pressure checks and basic screening. Villagers were persuaded to share Aadhaar and biometric information, which investigators allege was then diverted to activate telecom accounts.
Police estimate that more than 3,000 SIM cards and e-SIMs were activated over roughly one year, with the accused allegedly procuring and trading about 20 to 30 e-SIM profiles a day. Activated profiles were allegedly obtained for an estimated Rs 800 to Rs 1,200 and resold through social media and messaging platforms such as Telegram, Facebook and Instagram for upwards of Rs 2,000 each.
The network has been linked to more than 20 cyber fraud complaints involving approximately Rs 2.64 crore, police said. The activated e-SIMs were allegedly supplied to cybercriminals for activities such as digital-arrest scams and SIM-box systems.
Source: TelecomLive
The investigation began with a digital-arrest complaint in which a victim was allegedly threatened with legal action during repeated video calls and pressured into transferring Rs 1.64 crore through six RTGS transactions to six bank accounts over nearly two weeks. Technical analysis of mobile numbers and device data led investigators to the Vrindavan-Mathura region of Uttar Pradesh.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO) Gaurav Tyagi said the alleged misuse of identity details collected at the health camps is being investigated further, and that the accused also allegedly contacted sellers through online groups to obtain already-activated e-SIMs. The allegations are under investigation and have not been proved in court.