Uttarakhand cops busts SIM box gateway, arrests man with Bangladesh links
The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has busted an illegal telecom gateway allegedly being operated through SIM boxes in Udham Singh Nagar district and arrested a 24-year-old man in connection with the case.
The STF carried out the operation in coordination with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) based on information it received. The team raided a house and arrested Qadir, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad district.
The STF seized two SIM boxes, 77 antennas, 114 Airtel SIM cards, an Airtel internet router, a Samsung A35 mobile phone and several other telecom-related devices from the premises.
Officials said SIM box technology can be used to make foreign or VoIP calls appear as local numbers, conceal identities, use SIM cards issued on forged documents and facilitate cybercrimes such as digital arrest scams and impersonation of government officials.
According to the STF, the SIM box setup was being used to route foreign and VoIP calls in a manner that made them appear as local Indian mobile calls. As a result, recipients would see an Indian mobile number instead of the foreign number from which the call originated.
The STF said the arrangement could be used to conceal the caller's actual identity and location. During preliminary questioning, the accused reportedly disclosed that he was in contact with cybercriminals in Bangladesh and was receiving financial benefits through them.
The accused told investigators that he had been operating the gateway for around seven months. The STF also found that SIM cards obtained by misusing the identities of different people were being used in the network.
Investigators further found that the accused had previously been arrested in a case involving the operation of an illegal telecom gateway through SIM boxes.
In 2023, police registered a case against him at Katghar police station in Moradabad under sections related to cheating, forgery and the Indian Telegraph Act. A separate FIR was also registered against him under the Gangsters Act in the same year.
The STF is now investigating the accused's foreign contacts, the cyber network, bank accounts and the possible involvement of other associates.
The STF also said the operation of an illegal telecom gateway can cause losses to government revenue and telecom companies.
A FIR has been registered under relevant sections, and further legal action is underway.- EndsPublished By: Akshat TrivediPublished On: Sep 23, 2026 08:28 IST
