The Karnataka Cyber Command Unit has busted an alleged illegal SIM box network operating from two apartments in Bengaluru's Whitefield division, recovering 10 SIM box devices with a combined capacity of 320 SIM connections and arresting four persons, IANS reported on Thursday.

Source: IANS via HiIndia

The Hindu, reporting the same Cyber Command press note, said the unit suspects the network could be linked to digital-arrest scams, sextortion and financial cyberfrauds, and that the arrests followed a joint operation with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

Source: The Hindu via ScoopFeeds

At Kadugodi, police recovered six SIM box devices, each with 32 SIM slots — 192 slots configured with e-SIM-provisioned connections from various telecom providers. At Pattandur Agrahara, four devices with 32 slots each accounted for another 128 slots, Director General of Police, Cyber Command, Pronab Mohanty said, according to IANS.

10SIM box devices seized
320SIM connections capacity
4persons arrested so far
26 Aug 2026case registered at Whitefield

The case began with a complaint by the Chief Circle Nodal Officer of Bharti Airtel Limited, Bengaluru, over the suspected unauthorised use of Airtel SIM cards in a SIM box setup in the Whitefield and Kadugodi areas. The Cyber Crime Police Station, Whitefield, registered the case on August 26, 2026, and a detailed investigation followed.

Investigators also traced leads to Tiroda in Maharashtra's Gondia district over the alleged sale of SIM cards and their conversion into e-SIM profiles for use in the network. Police said the four arrested so far are suspected of involvement in the e-SIM supply chain; their individual roles are still being established, and the allegations have not been proven in court.

What police say is not yet established

Preliminary leads suggest the wider network could involve financial exposure running into hundreds of crores of rupees — yaani several billion rupees — but police say the number of victims, actual losses and the full extent of the network remain unverified and subject to continuing investigation.

The seized devices are being examined to establish their precise mode of operation and links to the suspected offenders. Further investigation is under way to identify others involved and to determine possible links between the SIM/e-SIM supply chain and suspected digital-arrest scams, sextortion and other financial cyberfrauds across India.