Odisha Police uncovered SIM box racket in Bhubaneshwar operated by Bangladeshi

Odisha Police has busted a SIM box racket operated from Bhubaneswar. The racket was operated by a Bangladeshi, illegally rerouting international calls to countries such as Pakistan, China and other regions in West Asia.   

“Odisha Police claimed to have busted a SIM box racket operated from Bhubaneswar by a Bangladeshi to reroute international calls to Pakistan, China and West Asia,” a senior officer said.

The accused, Raju Mandal belongs to West Bengal and he has been arrested. More than 1,000 SIM cards majorly pre-activated in the neighbouring state, routers and other equipment have been seized from a house in Bhubaneshwar.  

"Mandal used to run the show on behalf of a Bangladesh national identified as Asadur Jaman from a leased property in Bhubaneswar, ensuring the functionality of UPS, internet and other services," Commissioner of Police of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate, Sanjeeb Panda said.

"Preliminary interrogation of Mandal revealed that the SIM boxes were used to reroute international calls to Pakistan, China, and the Middle East. Though Mandal was staying in West Bengal, he used to visit the house in Bhubaneswar to address any SIM issue and to perform maintenance and repairs," he said.

As per Panda, SIM boxes are used to hide original phone numbers. They are often used for cybercrime, hate speech, terrorist acts, extortion, and other illegal activities, posing challenges for law enforcement agencies.

"Bangladesh national Asadur Jaman entered India in October, 2023 through Agartala and visited Bhubaneswar. He went back to Bangladesh in December that year. During his stay, he made payments to Mandal and is believed to have established two more SIM boxes, which are expected to be dismantled soon," he added.

Panda mentioned that police are considering seeking assistance from a national investigative agency as well as Interpol, since the primary suspect in the case is a Bangladeshi national.