South Dinajpur police tighten grip on cybercrime, SIM fraud
BALURGHAT: In a decisive move to curb cybercrime, the South Dinajpur District Police has stepped up efforts to combat SIM card fraud and financial scams. The district police have imposed multiple restrictions on the open sale of SIM cards in markets to prevent the use of fake identity documents for obtaining SIMs. According to Balurghat Sadar DSP Vikram Prasad, a crucial meeting was recently held to address the issue.
The meeting, convened by the district police, was attended by officials from the South Dinajpur Cyber Crime Police Station, including IC Saurav Ghosh and representatives from telecom providers such as BSNL, Jio, Vodafone and Airtel. Discussions centered on measures to prevent SIM fraud and how telecom companies can assist law enforcement in tackling the menace. “We are working closely with telecom companies to curb SIM fraud. Special attention is being given to ensuring that people do not fall victim to scams. The ‘Sanchar Saathi’ app can be used to check the number of SIMs registered under an individual’s name,” stated DSP Vikram Prasad.
Recently, several cases of financial fraud involving fake SIM cards surfaced across the district. Investigations revealed that fraudsters used forged identity documents to procure multiple SIMs, which were then exploited for large-scale financial scams. On Wednesday, the district cyber crime police achieved a significant breakthrough by arresting three notorious fraudsters—Bidyut Mehera, from Harshura village in Tapan, Mahfuz Alam, from Sihal in Banshihari and Apurba Talukdar.
The trio had allegedly acquired 164 SIM cards using fake documents for fraudulent activities. In response, the police have intensified their crackdown on telecom providers, warning that unauthorised SIM sales in open markets will not be tolerated. Customers are advised to submit valid identity documents while purchasing SIM cards and verify their registered numbers via the ‘Sanchar Saathi’ app.
The police have issued a strict warning that any telecom company found selling SIMs based on forged documents will face legal action.
