Syndicate Targeted Vulnerable Villagers

In a major crackdown on cybercrime, the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police has busted an interstate syndicate utilizing fraudulent health camps to harvest villagers' identity details. The gang allegedly used these stolen credentials to activate unauthorized e-SIMs, fueling sophisticated digital arrest scams across the country.

Investigators have arrested two key operatives, identified as 29-year-old Jitendra Singh and 21-year-old Brajesh Kumar. Law enforcement officials suspect that the network successfully activated upwards of 3,000 SIM cards over the past year, tying them directly to at least 20 major cyber-fraud complaints involving financial losses totaling approximately Rs 2.64 crore.

The Modus Operandi

The operation unraveled following a thorough investigation into a high-profile digital arrest case. The victim in that case was targeted via WhatsApp, threatened with fabricated legal proceedings, and coerced into transferring Rs 1.64 crore across six distinct bank accounts over a grueling two-week period.

Technical analysis of digital footprints, mobile numbers, and device metadata ultimately pointed investigators toward the Vrindavan-Mathura region in Uttar Pradesh. During a targeted raid conducted on the intervening night of October 20 and 21 in Village Kota, Sadar, police apprehended the suspects.

According to investigators, the syndicate set up bogus health camps in rural areas under the guise of offering subsidized medicines. Unsuspecting residents were coerced into handing over their Aadhaar cards and biometric data, which the perpetrators immediately weaponized to secure physical SIM cards and subsequently convert them into e-SIMs.

Cryptocurrency and Global Links

The accused traded heavily in illicit digital infrastructure, supplying activated e-SIMs and associated QR codes through encrypted channels on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram. Police revealed that the perpetrators typically procured activated e-SIMs for prices ranging between Rs 800 and Rs 1,200, reselling them on the black market for approximately Rs 2,000.

Financial transactions for these illegal assets were predominantly settled using USDT, a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar, indicating a deliberate effort to obscure financial trails. Preliminary examinations of the suspects' digital communications have also exposed potential ties to foreign handlers and broader organized cybercrime networks.

Ongoing Probe and Recoveries

Authorities recovered three mobile phones from the possession of the accused during the operation. Investigators noted that the suspects routinely cycled through mobile devices and destroyed older hardware to evade electronic surveillance.

As the investigation widens, the IFSO unit is probing the full extent of the syndicate's distribution network and working to identify other victims linked to the thousands of compromised e-SIMs currently active across the country.