ED has found pattern matching of at least 100 cyber frauds across India. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) busted an international fraud ring while investigating a cyber fraud worth over Rs 100 crore.
Indian SIM used abroad. Investigation revealed that around 36,000 Indian mobile SIM cards were used from Cambodia. Of these, at least 5,300 were directly used in cyber fraud.
The ED has initiated an investigation based on an FIR filed by the Jodhpur Cyber Crime Police in Rajasthan. It was alleged that unscrupulous vendors illegally activate SIM cards from some point-of-sale (POS) counters and hand them over to criminals. As the investigation progressed, links to international fraud rings became apparent.
Investigators said many mobile phone numbers were activated in India using fake documents or through fraud. The SIM cards are then sent to Cambodia through Malaysian citizens. From there, fraudsters target people in different states of India using WhatsApp calls and other digital platforms.
The ED analyzed about 2.3 lakh mobile numbers and found that about 36,000 of them were active in Cambodia. More worryingly, 5,300 of these SIMs have already been charged with cyber fraud. According to the investigators, the amount of fraud exceeded Rs.
Investigations revealed that a section of SIM sellers have targeted the less educated and uninformed people from different parts of the country. Sometimes in the name of number porting and sometimes with the lure of giving a new SIM, their identity cards are collected. The documents are then used to activate a large number of SIM cards. Investigation revealed that the SIMs were smuggled abroad without the knowledge of genuine customers and used in various cyber frauds.
Recently, the ED raided several places in Rajasthan’s Kishangarh, Nagaur, Jodhpur and Punjab’s Ludhiana on suspicion of involvement in the ring. Important documents, digital evidence and bank account details were recovered during the operation. Investigators are also probing money laundering.
Cambodia has become a base for international online fraud rings in the past few years, according to cybersecurity experts. Fraudsters living in different countries are defrauding millions of people by running call centers and online scam networks there.
In April this year, the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau found a gang smuggling over 600 Indian SIM cards to Cambodia since 2023. Five people were arrested in that incident. Investigators believe the current case is part of a larger international network.
ED said the investigation is still in the initial stage. The masterminds of this cycle operate it from abroad. Now the main challenge is to identify them. They are also trying to trace the fraudulently stolen money and how many more Indian SIM cards have fallen into the hands of the gang.