Pak-Linked Ghost SIM Card Racket Busted in Assam's Bilasipara, 1 Arrested

In a major crackdown on cybercrime, one person who was allegedly involved in a fake SIM card racket with suspected links to Pakistan was arrested in Assam's Bilasipara today.

The arrest was under the ongoing operation Ghost Sim of the Special Task Force (STF) of the Assam police.

Acting on intelligence inputs, police raided the premises of the accused and seized hundreds of mobile SIM cards, 15 bank ATM cards, and 15 bank passbooks used for illegal financial activities.

The arrested person has been identified as Abdul Kasem Ahmed, who runs a centre to apply for Aadhaar cards, sources said.

According to sources, Abdul Kasem is believed to be an associate of Zakaria, the alleged mastermind of a larger network connecting cyber fraud operations in India to Pakistan through the use of fake SIM cards.

This arrest comes after a joint operation by Bilasipara Police and the Special Task Force (STF), which had earlier resulted in the arrest of over 20 cybercriminals linked to the same racket.

Abdul Kasem has been handed over to the STF headquarters in Guwahati for further interrogation as the investigation continues.

In May this year, the Assam STF launched operation Ghost SIM, under which seven people had been arrested from across India for running a fake SIM card racket with links to Pakistani agents, the Assam Police said.

The Assam Police first received intelligence from the army's Gajraj Corps about an illegal activity involving the use of fake SIM cards from hideouts in Assam, Rajasthan, and Telangana, the police said.

After that, there were several arrests in this case.