Odisha: 7 convicted for fake SIMs, sharing the OTPs with Pakistani intelligence
Seven convicted by a sessions court in Bhubaneswar for procuring fake SIM cards and sharing OTPs with ISI operatives; Odisha STF probe exposed links to Pakistan agents
A sessions court in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday convicted seven people, including five from Odisha, for procuring SIM cards under fake identities and sharing one-time passwords (OTPs) with Pakistani intelligence operatives.
Bhubaneswar court jails 7 in SIM fraud case where OTPs were shared with ISI agents; investigation revealed links to Pakistani intelligence networks. (Representative photo)
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The Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) court in Bhubaneswar sentenced them to three years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹32,000 on each of them.
The convicts are Pritam Kar and Soumya Ranjan Pattanaik of Jajpur; Pathani Samanta Lenka, Saroj Kumar Nayak and Pradyumna Sahu of Nayagarh; Abhijit Sanjay of Pune; and Iqbal Hussain of Guwahati.
The Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Police arrested the seven accused in May 2023. During the investigation, the STF found prime accused Lenka’s links with Pakistani intelligence agents, following which the National Security Act (NSA) was invoked against him.
The accused were in touch with Pakistani agents Danish Ali and Abdul Hamid. Odisha Police had sought the help of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) in connection with the case. Despite repeated attempts, authorities in Pakistan did not share any information regarding the case with Odisha Police, officers said.
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The Special Task Force had arrested them on charges of fraudulently procuring large numbers of pre-activated SIM cards in others’ names and selling the OTPs to Pakistani intelligence operatives and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agents in Pakistan and India for large sums of money.
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The Special Task Force had arrested them on charges of fraudulently procuring large numbers of pre-activated SIM cards in others’ names and selling the OTPs to Pakistani intelligence operatives and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agents in Pakistan and India for large sums of money.
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The OTPs were misused to open online mule bank accounts and create accounts on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on online shopping sites.
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.
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