Overview
- The CBI carried out coordinated searches at 10 locations in Bihar and Odisha and arrested the Airtel area distributor for Mahua in connection with the illegal SIM Box network.
- Investigators seized mobile phones, laptops and large numbers of SIM cards during the raids and say more than 700 of the recovered SIMs were issued by the arrested distributor using misused Point‑of‑Sale credentials.
- The operation was first detected in Supaul last year, where investigators recovered over 1,300 SIMs, and CBI analysis now links the network to at least 73 cybercrime cases across India, including ‘Digital Arrest’ scams.
- The agency says several subscribers told investigators they did not consent to SIMs issued in their names and that the scheme likely relied on deceptive e‑KYC authorizations and misuse of biometric data.
- The case was transferred to the CBI by the Bihar government and is being pursued under the Information Technology Act and the Telecommunication Act 2022, with forensic analysis of seized devices and possible wider regulatory scrutiny of SIM issuance expected next.