On March 8, 2026, the Cyber Police Station of the Crime Investigation Department (CID), Assam, arrested five people in coordinated raids across multiple locations in Kamrup district after receiving credible intelligence about an alleged interstate cyber-fraud network. Officials said the operation uncovered organised activity involving illegal SIM procurement, misuse of personal documents and the creation of mule bank accounts used to launder criminal proceeds.
A suo motu case (No. 01/2026) has been registered under sections 318(3), 319(2), 336(3), 337 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Investigators reported that the accused were illegally handling nearly 200 active SIM cards in violation of telecom regulations, which authorities say points to links with a wider interstate syndicate.
During the raids police recovered KYC documents belonging to more than 1,000 individuals, 54 bank passbooks in different names, 10 blank cheque books, five unused debit cards, about 1,000 unissued SIM cards and nearly 500 issued SIM card covers. Preliminary checks indicated several of the seized SIMs were already tied to cyber-fraud cases registered in other states.
Officials said the usage pattern suggests involvement in SIMBOX operations — a method that routes fraudulent international calls through local telecom networks to evade detection and make tracing difficult. Police also alleged the accused ran a handloom training centre as a front. According to investigators, the centre solicited applications from women for training, collected their identification documents during enrolment, and then used those documents to activate mule SIMs and open mule bank accounts.
The five arrested have been identified as Moinul Hoque (Kalita Kuchi, Hajo), Moon Kalita and Kangakan Kalita (Sauramuri, Kayan), Hirak Jyoti Kalita (Balisatra, Kayan) and Mostakim Ahmed (Dhuhi, Kayan). The CID said the probe is ongoing to trace the larger network, identify beneficiaries of the mule accounts and determine victims whose documents were misused.
Senior Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime) Saurav Jyoti Saikia said, “The state police remains committed to combating cyber fraud in all its forms,” and urged citizens to exercise caution when sharing personal documents. Authorities advised the public not to share Aadhaar, PAN, bank details or photos with unknown organisations or unverified job and training schemes, and to report suspicious calls, messages or online activity to the national cyber crime helpline 1930 or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/assam/story/cid-busts-cyber-fraud-illegal-sim-racket-five-arrested-in-guwahati-raids-1356890-2026-03-09?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-03-09 13:11:00
