New Delhi, March 27 The CBI has arrested two directors of a Meerut-based company that was allegedly established "solely to procure bulk SIM cards" and facilitate SIM Box operations for cyber fraud, officials said on Friday.
A SIM box routes large volumes of phone calls or SMS messages through hundreds of SIM cards housed in a box.
The arrests followed searches at six locations in Noida and Meerut, and Mohd Vilal and Mohd Dilshad were arrested in connection with the case, they said.
"The case pertains to the misuse of bulk SIM cards deployed through SIM Box technology for perpetrating large-scale cyber frauds," a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
The investigation revealed that a company was incorporated in January 2025, and that 108 SIM cards were obtained in its name, ostensibly for employee use," the CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
These SIM cards were later flagged by people on the National Cyber Reporting Portal (NCRP) and the Chakshu platform for their alleged role in fraudulent activity, the statement said.
A spate of complaints suggested that the numbers were used to place calls impersonating law enforcement agencies and government officials, the agency said.
"Victims reported being deceived into transferring money following such calls, which typically serve as the initial step in cyber fraud schemes," the statement said.
The CBI launched a detailed technical analysis, coupled with a coordinated field operation that exposed the role of the two Meerut-based individuals behind the operation.
The CBI is also scrutinizing the associates of the arrested accused, including the zonal office of a Telecom Service Provider, and an employee of a private entity responsible for verification processes related to bulk SIM issuance.
"During the searches, investigators seized various electronic devices, including laptops, hard disks, and mobile phones, along with incriminating documents and SIM cards, including one foreign (Nepal) SIM card," the spokesperson said.
