Assam CID Busts Cyber Fraud, Illegal SIM Card Racket; Five Held

In a major operation against cybercrime, the Cyber Police Station of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in Assam arrested five people during coordinated raids across several locations in Kamrup district on Sunday (March 8).

The operation targeted a network allegedly involved in cyber fraud, illegal procurement and distribution of SIM cards, and misuse of personal documents to create mule accounts used for financial fraud.

Based on intelligence inputs, CID registered a suo motu case (No. 01/2026) under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). During the investigation, officials found that the suspects were illegally handling around 200 SIM cards in violation of telecom regulations and were believed to be part of a larger interstate cybercrime syndicate.

During the raids, police seized a large number of documents and financial instruments believed to be linked to the fraud. These included KYC documents belonging to more than 1,000 individuals, 54 bank passbooks in different names, 10 blank cheque books, five unused debit cards, around 1,000 unissued SIM cards, and nearly 500 issued SIM card covers.

Preliminary investigation revealed that several of the seized SIM cards were linked to cyber fraud cases registered in other states. Officials also suspect that some of the SIMs were used in SIMBOX operations, a method commonly used by fraudsters to route international scam calls through local networks to avoid detection.

According to investigators, the accused allegedly operated a handloom training centre as a front for the illegal activities. Women were invited to apply for training programmes and were asked to submit their personal identification documents during the registration process. These documents were then allegedly misused to activate SIM cards and open bank accounts, which were later used for cyber fraud and money laundering.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Moinul Hoque of Kalita Kuchi, Moon Kalita of Sauramuri, Kangakan Kalita of Sauramuri, Hirak Jyoti Kalita of Balisatra, and Mostakim Ahmed of Dhuhi.

CID officials said the investigation is ongoing to uncover the full network behind the racket. They are also trying to identify victims whose documents were misused and trace financial transactions linked to the mule accounts.

In light of the case, Assam Police has urged citizens to remain cautious and avoid sharing personal documents such as Aadhaar, PAN, bank details, or photographs with unknown organisations or unverified training and job schemes.

People have also been advised to report suspicious calls, messages or online activities immediately through the National Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) or the cybercrime.gov.in portal.

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