Bhopal Cyber Cops Launch Drive Against Point Of Sale Agents Selling SIM Cards To Conmen

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Cyber crime branch police have launched a crackdown on Point of Sale (PoS) agents who have been duping people by activating duplicate SIM cards using their Aadhaar card details.

The move comes after investigators found that several agents across states were running a fraudulent scheme that supplied fake SIMs to cyber criminals.

According to cyber police officials, the modus operandi is simple yet dangerous. PoS agents lure customers by offering free or low-cost SIM cards at public places, markets under temporary canopies.

Once a person agrees, the agent collects their Aadhaar details, photograph, and fingerprint. Pretending that the first biometric scan has failed, the agent asks the customer to provide the fingerprint for second time.

This allows the agent to activate two SIM cards on the same Aadhaar number, one is given to the unsuspecting customer, while the second is sold to fraudsters for a hefty price.

Cyber cops said that these SIMs often ended up on dark online networks, where they are bought by cyber gangs to carry out scams and financial frauds while remaining untraceable.

To curb the menace, Bhopal cyber crime branch has intensified its drive against such PoS agents. Over the past few months, agents from different states including Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh have been caught with dozens of illegally activated SIM cards.

Investigations revealed that several of them were working in coordination with interstate networks that specialize in selling fake SIMs.

“People should be extremely cautious if someone offers them a free SIM card or asks for repeated biometric scans. These are red flags, and such cases must be reported immediately,” Additional DCP (crime) Shailendra Singh Chauhan said.

Since December 2024, the branch has tracked down over 20 PoS agents and SIM sellers across different cases. Officials said that the campaign would continue till the supply chain of fraudulent SIM cards is dismantled.