A vigilant 21-year-old woman from Villupuram filed a complaint a year ago after suspecting her personal details were being misused, leading to the uncovering of a major SIM card smuggling ring by the CB-CID. The gang collected approximately 2,600 SIM cards from unsuspecting people across Tamil Nadu and smuggled them to Cambodia for use in cyber scam compounds.
Recently, CB-CID arrested two key suspects, Vignesh and Ranganathan, accused of orchestrating the SIM card smuggling. The duo is also under scrutiny for recruiting individuals to work in scam operations in Cambodia and Laos, earning hefty commissions from these illegal activities.
The CB-CID, assigned to investigate cyber slavery cases, revealed that job-seekers from Tamil Nadu are often lured to scam compounds in Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. These workers are forced to conduct ‘digital arrests,’ trading app scams, and other cyber frauds on fellow Indians using SIM cards smuggled from India.
The case originated in June 2024 when the complainant, a 21-year-old English graduate working in a sweet shop in Vikravandi, was approached by individuals seeking her help to procure SIM cards for a ‘tele-calling’ business. After agreeing, she was taken to a footwear shop where her biometrics and photo were captured. Eventually, ten SIM cards were registered in her name.
Later, relatives informed her that many SIM cards were being procured similarly and sold for profit to an individual named Sathiyamoorthy. Alarmed about the misuse of SIM cards in her name, she lodged a police complaint under sections related to cheating and the IT Act.
Several suspects including Sathiyamoorthy, Raj, Kiruba, Anbarasan, Sathishkumar, and Tamilselvan were charged. The case was later transferred to the CB-CID in February 2025, which uncovered additional accused including Vignesh, Ranganathan, and Mustaq Alam.
Investigations revealed that the accused sourced SIM cards from multiple middlemen and sold them to agents coordinating with Cambodian scam operations. The agency traced the sale of over 2,600 SIM cards by this syndicate. Furthermore, Vignesh and Ranganathan were found to be facilitating the deployment of individuals to work in these scam compounds, collecting commissions up to Rs 1.2 lakh.
The CB-CID continues its probe into the gang’s extensive operations, which have links across Tamil Nadu and Southeast Asia.