Chandigarh, May 25 (IANS) To curb the menace of issuing SIM cards on fake identities, a major security threat, the Punjab Police have got blocked over 1.8 lakh SIM cards activated using fake identities and forged documents, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Thursday.
In one case 500 SIM cards have been issued with the same photograph but in different names by forging documents.
The Internal Security Wing in association with the Department of Telecom had begun a crackdown against distributors and agents selling SIM cards on fake identities.
Yadav said: "Action is being initiated against point of sales distributors, agents and other persons involved in issuing SIM cards on fake IDs."
The police have arrested 17 people, who were found involved in the sale of SIM cards on fake documents, besides registering 52 FIRs in the last three days.
Special DGP (Internal Security) R.N. Dhoke said that he had held multiple meetings with the Department of Telecom and telecom service providers. Subsequent to that action was taken.
He said Inspector General of Police (Counter Intelligence) Rakesh Agrawal has been made the nodal officer and a drive is on to further identify the SIM cards issued on fake IDs.
The special DGP also warned retailers of strict action for failing to comply with the Know Your Customer (KYC) norms, a lapse that resulted in the activation of thousands of SIM cards fraudulently.
"Special teams of the Counter Intelligence Wing have been coordinating with the district police to zero in on SIM card retailers, who activated different mobile phone numbers with the same proof of identity," he said, adding that they are also taking up the matter with the telecom authorities to blacklist such agents.
A police officer in Delhi said that the gang was involved in cheating people across India, and the accused have duped people so far of Rs 2 crore. Interestingly, the gang was also registered on the Sulekha app, which provides various services, and most of the calls were through this app.
Ever since, Rescue Foundation has saved over 7000 lives by rescuing girls from trafficking and providing them with a supportive environment to rebuild their lives. With four safe havens in Mumbai, Boisar, Pune and Delhi, the foundation provides shelter, healthcare, education, and vocational training.
Antram a.k.a Anta Antram, 61, had allegedly kidnapped and killed Harendra Singh-- the younger brother of lawyer Raghvendra Singh--with the help of his friend in 1982. The boy was murdered after the family failed to pay a ransom of Rs 5 lakh. The body was found seven days later, with the throat split open.
On July 22, 2022, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directed the CBI to initiate a case in the excise scam. Sources claim that from that day onwards, Sisodia started using a new mobile phone. While probing the matter, the CBI learnt that Sisodia had been using three different mobile phones between January 1, 2020 and August 19, 2022.
A spokesperson for the police said, a police team was deployed at the bus stand in Badhra. On learning that four people with illegal weapons were roaming in a car, the police raided the location and arrested them. The accused have been identified as Ankit, Ajay, Ashuraj and Ravindra.
The alleged manhandling of the woman has sparked statewide protests by the farmers against the acquisition of land for the Bharatmala project. Hundreds of activists of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) squatted on railway tracks at several towns and blocked rail traffic over inadequate compensation for the land acquired for the project.
