Daijiworld Media Network - Murshidabad

Murshidabad, Mar 2: Cross-border criminals operating along India's international border with Bangladesh, particularly in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, have found a new way to evade security agencies—procuring mobile SIM cards using forged Indian identity documents.

According to sources, these pre-activated SIM cards are obtained through two alarming methods. In one instance, criminals secure SIM cards using fake identity documents in the names of non-existent individuals. The second method involves registering SIMs in the name of genuine persons without their knowledge, making it nearly impossible to track down the actual users.

Shockingly, in almost 99 per cent of such cases, the person in whose name the SIM is registered remains unaware that someone else is using it. Many of these fraudulent SIMs are sold to illegal Bangladeshi immigrants who use them while hiding in border villages before acquiring fake Indian identity documents.

Investigations have revealed that some unscrupulous mobile service dealers play a major role in this racket. These dealers retain extra photocopies of genuine customers’ identity documents and misuse their biometric imprints to activate multiple SIM cards, which are later sold at a premium to criminals.

Security agencies are increasingly concerned about the threat posed by these fraudulent networks, as such SIMs are often linked to illegal activities. A crackdown is expected to curb this growing menace.