In a joint operation conducted by the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) and the state cyber police, a 27-year-old Tibetan man and a 29-year-old Bhutanese woman were apprehended in Delhi’s Majnu Ka Tila area. They were arrested on charges of supplying approximately 500 SIM cards from Indian telecom companies to fraudsters located in China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam.

The two accused individuals, identified as Tenzing Chofel from Tibet and Lalita Thapa from Bhutan, allegedly facilitated the distribution of these SIM cards to overseas fraudsters. These SIM cards were subsequently used for making fraudulent calls to targets within India. Their arrest is connected to a case involving the defrauding of a Dehradun man of Rs 22.9 lakh. The victims were promised earnings by liking and commenting on specific YouTube channels.

Senior STF officials disclosed that the arrests were made based on electronic evidence gathered during the investigation. The arrested individuals admitted to being in direct contact with the foreign-based fraudsters. They supplied pre-activated SIM cards to these criminals through international courier services. Furthermore, the SIM cards were linked to Indian bank accounts used for conducting fraudulent transactions, with the arrested duo receiving commissions for their involvement.

The police investigation has also revealed that the accused purchased the SIM cards from agents of various telecom companies for Rs 500 each and sold them for Rs 2,000. Additionally, law enforcement authorities have initiated contact with the telecom companies and are currently questioning store operators involved in the large-scale supply of SIM cards. As a result of the arrests, the police have seized approximately 82 SIM cards, one Bhutanese passport, 10 debit cards, and one hard disk from the accused individuals.

Himalayan Live Bureau

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