The Bengaluru SIM box network under investigation by Karnataka Cyber Command Centre police has expanded to two locations in Tamil Nadu, where teams have seized 10 SIM box devices and detained suspects, officials said on October 28.
The locations identified are in Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur. The discovery followed analysis of devices, telecommunications records and other digital evidence seized during raids on two premises in Bengaluru’s Kadugodi and Pattandur Agrahara on October 22.
During the Bengaluru operation, police found that 320 Airtel SIM cards had been used and seized more than 10 electronic devices of different types. Investigators said the equipment was being used in cybercrime operations. The Karnataka Cyber Command Centre and Whitefield Cyber Crime Police conducted the raids.
Pranav Mohanty, director general of police at the Cyber Command Centre, said the Tamil Nadu locations were identified after investigators examined the material collected in Bengaluru and conducted further operations based on technical evidence. The operation was carried out with the cooperation of officials from the Department of Telecommunications, he said.
Police said they were investigating the transactions conducted through the two illegal centres in Tamil Nadu. The Bengaluru centres had handled transactions worth more than ₹100 crore, according to the cybercrime police. Investigators are also checking whether the network has spread to other states.
Police described the network as part of a system allegedly used for digital arrest scams, extortion and financial fraud. According to the information provided by investigators, Airtel SIM cards purchased in Maharashtra were converted into eSIMs and used by the operators. Local participants allegedly worked on instructions from key accused persons based abroad and received commissions.
An eSIM is a software-based SIM profile embedded digitally in a mobile phone or its motherboard rather than placed in a removable physical card. It allows users to change operators or networks through phone settings, supports multiple SIM profiles on a single device and cannot be removed from a lost phone in the same way as a physical SIM card.
The police said the accused used eSIMs to conduct cyber fraud. The network is believed to have extended to Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, while efforts are under way to trace the alleged masterminds based abroad. The investigation into the network’s wider geographical spread and the transactions linked to the Tamil Nadu centres is continuing.
