Odisha STF arrests 3 for selling, sharing OTPs to Pakistani agents

STF inspector general of police (IGP) JN Pankaj said that the three procured massive amounts of SIM cards in others’ names and sold the OTPs (linked/generated using the SIMs) to various clients, including some Pakistani intelligence operatives and ISI agents for large sums of money

Updated on: May 14, 2023, 19:11:00 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Three, including a teacher of an Industrial Training Institute (ITI), were arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha police on charges of fraudulently procuring huge numbers of pre-activated SIM cards in others’ names and selling the OTPs some Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIO) and ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) agents in Pakistan and in India, officials said.

The STF officials seized 47 SIM cards, 61 ATM cards, and 23 SIM covers from the accused (Representative Photo)

STF inspector general of police (IGP) JN Pankaj said that the three procured massive amounts of SIM cards in others’ names and sold the OTPs (linked/generated using the SIMs) to various clients, including some Pakistani intelligence operatives and ISI agents for large sums of money.

The STF officials seized 47 SIM cards, 61 ATM cards, and 23 SIM covers from the accused persons. A case under Sections 419/ 420/ 465/ 467/ 468/471/120(B)/34 IPC r/w 66C & 66 D of the Information Technology Act, 2000 has been registered against the accused, said the IGP.

Also Read: 2,197 SIM cards issued on forged documents blocked, 13 arrested

“The three accused Pathani Samant Lenka (35), Saroj Kumar Nayak alias (26) and Soumya Pattanaik (19) were in touch with a female PIO agent who was arrested last year in an Official Secrets Act/honey-trap case in Rajasthan. These OTPs were then used to create various accounts/channels on WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, etc., and online shopping sites like Amazon and Flipkart. The OTPs were also used in opening email accounts. Though these accounts are of Indian origin, they were actually operated from Pakistan,” he said.

Lenka is a teacher in Nayagarh ITI.

According to STF officials, these agents use social media platforms for various anti-India activities like spying, communication with terrorists, radicalisation, running anti-India propaganda, fuelling anti-India/ divisive sentiments on social media, sextortion, honey-trapping, etc.

“As these accounts are registered/linked to Indian mobile numbers, people find them trustworthy. The accounts opened on online shopping platforms are also used to supply items to terrorists, anti-India elements,” said an STF official.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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