E-Paper
Lucknow Police unearth suspected call-routing network, seize 192 SIM slots
The operation, conducted jointly by the cyber police station and cybercrime cell on Saturday, led to the recovery of six 32-port SIM boxes, three VPN gateways, 21 smart switches, three smart hubs, four inverters/UPS units and 18 batteries. Police also seized a locked tablet, Wi-Fi routers, cameras and other electronic equipment.
Prefer HTon Google
A suspected illegal call-routing network, equipped with six SIM boxes capable of operating 192 SIM cards simultaneously, has been unearthed by Lucknow Police following coordinated raids at four locations across the city. The seized equipment could have been used to route fraudulent calls through internet connections and conceal the callers’ actual locations, police said.
The operation, conducted jointly by the cyber police station and cybercrime cell on Saturday, led to the recovery of six 32-port SIM boxes, three VPN gateways, 21 smart switches, three smart hubs, four inverters/UPS units and 18 batteries. Police also seized a locked tablet, Wi-Fi routers, cameras and other electronic equipment.
The raids were conducted at Swati Apartment in Sushant Golf City, Ashirwad Building in Adarsh Vihar (Para), Gold Line Apartment in BBD and GJ Paradise in Adarsh Nagar (Chinhat), according to police press notes.
“The recovery assumes significance amid the growing use of digital arrest scams, in which fraudsters impersonate police officers, CBI officials and other government authorities to intimidate victims over phone calls and extort money,” said ADCP (Crime) Kiran Yadav.
According to the officer, the operation followed a technical alert concerning a suspicious mobile number. Investigators analysed its call detail records (CDRs) and other technical inputs before seeking information from telecom and internet service providers. This helped them identify multiple high-speed internet connections and locations suspected to be linked to the number.
A police team subsequently conducted coordinated searches at the four premises.
A 32-port SIM box can accommodate multiple SIM cards simultaneously and route large volumes of calls through mobile networks. When combined with internet-based calling systems and VPN gateways, such infrastructure can potentially help operators mask the origin of calls and make it difficult for investigators to trace callers.
Police said the seized equipment was being subjected to detailed technical examination to establish its actual use, identify the SIM cards involved, analyse calling patterns and trace people connected to the network.
“The use of SIM boxes in illegal calling arrangements can facilitate large-scale calls and conceal their actual source. Such systems can be misused in cybercrimes, including digital arrest frauds,” said Kiran Yadav, nodal officer for cybercrime, Lucknow Police.
An FIR has been registered at the Cyber Police Station in Lucknow, and further investigation is underway.
