Panna Police have cracked an international cyber fraud racket, arresting two men from Maharashtra and seizing 1,700 SIM cards intended for overseas scams targeting Indians. The accused allegedly supplied Indian SIM cards to fraudsters operating in Southeast Asia, including Thailand and Cambodia, who used these cards to make fraudulent calls.
The arrests followed an investigation into a case where a woman from Panna was cheated out of Rs 14 lakh. Police revealed that the accused used a novel method involving shell companies to procure SIM cards in bulk.
Rishikesh alias Rishabh Harsurkar (27) from Kolhapur and Suresh Gudimani (31) from Chikodi district were apprehended from an apartment complex in Thane, Maharashtra. The duo rented three flats there, establishing operational setups in two, while residing in the third.
According to SP Sai Krishan Thota, the accused created at least six shell companies registered under their or relatives’ names, facilitating the acquisition of SIM cards. Investigations uncovered their contacts with counterparts in Thailand and Cambodia via Telegram, including a kingpin known as “Boss.”
The duo reportedly traveled to Thailand monthly for nearly a year, carrying 100-500 SIM cards per trip, which were then distributed by associates abroad. Authorities suspect thousands of SIM cards were sold internationally.
The fraudulent calls originated overseas as VoIP and were converted to GSM calls through SIM boxes, deceiving victims with threats of “digital arrest.” CCTV footage monitored the operations under instructions from kingpins abroad.
The scam victim, Anshu Sharma from Panna, was threatened over the phone and coerced into transferring Rs 14 lakh via RTGS. Following a complaint and technical investigation, the police arrested the suspects who confessed to their crimes.
Authorities continue probing the money trail, including suspected cryptocurrency conversions, and are expanding the investigation to identify further accomplices.
