NIA team arrives in Bhubaneswar to investigate SIM box racket

Bhubaneswar, Aug 21: In response to a request from the Odisha Police, a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrived in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday to investigate the SIM box racket uncovered by the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police last week.

The NIA officials are expected to question the primary suspect, Raju Mandal, who is being transported back to Bhubaneswar from Ranchi by a special squad from the Commissionerate Police.

The Commissionerate Police had requested NIA's involvement after initial investigations indicated that the racket might be linked to a Bangladeshi national, Asadur Jaman. The NIA will determine whether Jaman is the central figure behind the operation or merely a facilitator providing logistics, financial support, and technical assistance to Mandal.

Mandal's current 5-day police remand is set to conclude on Thursday, and the Commissionerate Police plans to seek a court extension for his detention.

So far, police have conducted raids in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Ranchi, leading to the seizure of 17 SIM boxes and approximately 1,000 SIM cards.