Punjab Police Arrests 17, Over 50 FIRs Registered in Crackdown Against Fraudulent SIM Cards

Punjab police has blocked over 1.8 lakh SIM cards that were said to be activated using fake identities/forged documents. Over 50 FIRs have been registered and 17 accused have been arrested. Retailers across Punjab have also been warned about stern action on failing to comply with Know Your Customer (KYC) norms.

Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav has revealed that Punjab police is cracking down on SIM cards being issued on fake identities which has become a major threat to security. It has arrested 17 people connected to the sale of SIM cards on fake documents. It also registered 52 first information reports (FIRs) under sections 420, 465, 467 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the last three days.

Talking about one of the cases, DGP Yadav shared that as many as 500 SIM cards were issued with same photograph but in different names by forging the documents.

The crackdown is a joint operation between Internal Security wing of Punjab Police and the Department of Telecom (DoT). It was found that the majority of cyber-crimes and anti-national acts are being carried out using mobile numbers that have been registered based on false documents or in third parties’ names.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Counter Intelligence Rakesh Agrawal has been put in charge of this crackdown and further identifying the SIM cards issued on fake IDs.

The police has also warned retailers about the stern action for failing to comply with KYC norms. This lapse in compliance is what resulted in thousands of SIM cards being activated fraudulently.

Vineet Washington