SIM box operations in Odisha reveal connections to Jharkhand

Bhubaneswar, Aug 19: A few days after the Commissionerate Police dismantled two SIM box rackets in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, Twin City Police Commissioner Sanjeeb Panda shared new insights at a press conference on Monday. Panda disclosed that these SIM box operations have connections in Jharkhand as well.

While two rackets have been dismantled in Odisha, a third one is reportedly active in Jharkhand. A Commissionerate Police team is scheduled to visit Jharkhand soon to intensify their raids, Panda said.

To date, the raids in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar have resulted in the seizure of 12 SIM boxes, 481 SIM cards, and an additional 810 standby SIM cards from the suspects. Ongoing investigations also include raids on hotels where the primary suspect, Asadur Jaman, stayed during his visits to Odisha.

Panda explained that the seized equipment was used to make international and domestic calls while concealing the caller's identity. These devices were also implicated in various criminal activities, including terrorist operations.

According to Panda, Raju Mandal, who was arrested and is originally from West Bengal, was managing the SIM boxes in rented properties in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Mandal was responsible for maintaining the operational infrastructure, such as UPS, internet, and power services.

Reports indicate that Mandal transported goods from Odisha to Kolkata and subsequently sold them in Bangladesh, where he met Asadur. Asadur introduced him to the SIM box scheme. These SIM boxes were utilized to reroute international calls to countries like Pakistan, China, and the Middle East.

Regarding the raid in Cuttack, Panda noted that the Madhupatna police assisted in uncovering a SIM box operation at a residential building named ‘Brundaban Bhawan’. The raid recovered five active SIM boxes with approximately 200 SIM cards and 310 additional SIM cards, along with routers and modems.