Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): In a massive joint operation, the Madhya Pradesh State cyber police along with district police forces launched Operation Forged-Activated-SIM-Termination (FAST), targeting fake SIM card users and Point-of-Sale (POS) agents involved in issuing fraudulent mobile connections.
The crackdown covered 20 districts of the state, leading to multiple arrests and seizures.
Superintendent of Police (State Cyber Police) Pranay Nagvanshi with a six-member Special Operations Group (SOG) led a 15-day action plan and a 24x7 control room set up to identify hotspots of fraudulent SIM activity.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, around 7,500 fake SIM cards were issued by 3,824 suspicious POS vendors, many of which were later linked to cyber fraud cases across India. About 6,200 complaints regarding these SIMs were registered on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP).
Investigations revealed that fake SIM cards were being supplied in bulk not only to various Indian states—including Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi—but also used by cybercriminals in Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia and Thailand. These SIMs played a key role in organized cybercrimes, including digital arrest scams, fraudulent loan apps, and financial frauds.
Cyber police officials confirmed that further action is underway against remaining suspects. The operation was executed after extensive technical surveillance and ground-level reconnaissance by the SOG, Cyber & Hi-Tech Crime Police Station (Bhopal), all zonal cyber offices, and district police forces.
Arrests and seizures
In the first phase, police registered 50 FIRs against 94 suspects (POS agents and fake café operators) across 20 districts. So far, 44 accused have been arrested. Seizures include:
24 lapsed SIM cards
26 mobile phones and laptops
22 active SIM cards
7 thumb impression machines
3 debit cards and 2 bank passbooks
100 fake SIM cards
Rs 20,000 cash and other incriminating documents
Fake SIM rackets hotspots
Sidhi, Chhatarpur, Datia, Dindori, Shivpuri are the hotspot for fake SIM rackets. Meanwhile Other Focus Districts include, Gwalior, Indore, Damoh, Morena and Jabalpur Jabalpur.
