UP Police Bust SIM Box on Nepal - India border; One Arrested
A Sim bank / sim box is a device which holds hundreds of SIM Cards and routes international VoIP calls received through high speed broadband connectivity as local mobile calls
Maharajganj, 29 July 2026: In a major success against cyber crime, Maharajganj Police have busted an international call-routing racket operated through a SIM Box and arrested one accused.
The operation was carried out under the ongoing ‘Cyber Fraud/Hotspot Campaign’ launched on the directions of Superintendent of Police Shakti Mohan Awasthi and under the supervision of Nodal Officer (Cyber Crime)/Additional Superintendent of Police Siddharth.
A specialised team led by Area Officer (Cyber) Shashi Mauli Pandey and In-charge Inspector of Cyber Police Station Mohammad Rashid Khan conducted intensive interrogation and arrested the accused on 29 July 2026.
Legal proceedings have been initiated against him.
FIR Details
A case (Crime No. 46/2026) has been registered at Cyber Crime Police Station, Maharajganj, under Sections 318(4), 319(2), 336(3), 338, 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 42 of the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act.
How the Fraud Worked
During interrogation it was revealed that the accused obtained large numbers of active SIM cards by submitting fake documents or documents belonging to other persons in the name of various telecom companies.
These SIMs were then inserted into a SIM Box (also commonly called a SIM Bank).
A SIM Box/SIM Bank is an electronic device that can hold dozens of SIM cards at the same time.
It is connected to the internet and converts incoming international VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls into ordinary local mobile calls.
As a result, the calls appear to originate from Indian mobile numbers, concealing their true foreign origin.
This method not only causes heavy revenue loss to telecom companies but is also widely used by cyber criminals for phishing, OTP fraud, fake customer-care calls and other online scams.
Seized Items
From the possession of the accused police recovered:
- One 32-slot SIM Box
- Two keypad mobile phones
- 151 active SIM cards
- Three LAN cables
- Two power adapters
- One Wi-Fi router
- Two fake Aadhaar cards
- One black bag
Cash Reward Announced
Appreciating the excellent work of the entire team, Superintendent of Police Shakti Mohan Awasthi has announced a cash reward of ₹25,000 for the officers and personnel involved in the arrest and recovery.
Accused
Mohammad Nabish, son of Mohammad Shabir, resident of Islampur, Police Station Jaynagar, District Madhubani (Bihar), aged about 28 years, educational qualification Class 12th.
Team That Carried Out the Operation
The arrest and recovery were made by the following officers and personnel under the overall guidance of the senior officers mentioned above:
- Inspector Rashid Khan, In-charge, Cyber Police Station, Maharajganj
- Sub-Inspector Yogesh Kumar Singh, In-charge, SOG, Maharajganj
- Sub-Inspector Ashish Kumar Singh, In-charge, SWAT Team, Maharajganj
- Sub-Inspector Upendra Singh, Cyber Commando, Gorakhpur Zone, Gorakhpur
- Sub-Inspector Amit Yadav, Cyber Crime Police Station, Maharajganj
- Sub-Inspector Abhilash Yadav, Cyber Crime Police Station, Maharajganj
- Head Constable Amit Kumar Singh, SOG, Maharajganj
- Head Constable Shailendra Tripathi, SOG, Maharajganj
- Head Constable Dhirendra Kumar Mishra, SWAT Team, Maharajganj
- Head Constable Krishna Kumar Singh, SOG, Maharajganj
- Head Constable Kailash Dwivedi, SOG, Maharajganj
- Head Constable Prafull Kumar Yadav, Cyber Crime Police Station, Maharajganj
- Constable Ram Ashish Yadav, SOG, Maharajganj
- Constable Rajeev Yadav, SWAT Team, Maharajganj
- Constable Piyush Tiwari, Cyber Police Station, Maharajganj
- Surveillance Cell along with its team, District Maharajganj
Maharajganj Police have reiterated their commitment to take strict action against cyber criminals.
Citizens are urged to immediately report any suspicious call, link or online fraud to the national cyber helpline 1930 or to the nearest police station/cyber police station.