Gujarat: Cybercrime busts gang issuing fraud SIM cards to foreign countries; cyberfraud cases up by 200 per cent
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Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Unit has arrested three accused for allegedly issuing and circulating fraudulently activated SIM cards Photograph: (WION)
The arrested individuals reportedly misused customer documents to activate multiple SIM cards and sent them overseas through local agents. These SIM cards were used by call centres engaged in cyber scams targeting Indian citizens.
Cyber fraud cases are increasing significantly across India, and in a recent operation, the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Unit has arrested three accused for allegedly issuing and circulating fraudulently activated SIM cards and then selling them to international cybercrime syndicates.
The arrested individuals – Vijay Rawal, Shubham Paradiya, and Kiran Thakkar – allegedly misused customer documents to activate multiple SIM cards and sent them overseas through local agents. These SIM cards were used by call centres engaged in cyber scams targeting Indian citizens.
“During our investigation, we found that SIM cards were routed to Dubai, Cambodia, and Myanmar, where large-scale cyber fraud operations are allegedly run by Chinese networks,” said an official. To figure out how the scam came to light, police began investigating after a Chandlodia resident was defrauded using a SIM card obtained without his knowledge.
The accused Raval had taken his documents under the pretext of transferring an existing number, but instead used them to issue a new SIM card. According to the details, the accused Raval ran a makeshift SIM-issuing centre and fraudulently got the victim’s documents. Raval then claimed that the server was down and assured the victim that the SIM would get auto-activated.
He used the documents to get an Airtel SIM, which later helped in a digital arrest scam. It was also used in operations that lured youth to Southeast Asian countries and trapped them in cyber-slavery. Raval led cops to Pradia, who revealed he bought pre-activated SIM cards from Raval for Rs 700 each and sold them to Thakkar, who sold them to the gang members for Rs 1200 each.
Now, officials are investigating how these SIM cards reached the Southeast Asia-based gangs. Officials say cyber fraud is increasing significantly in Gujarat, with a substantial rise in complaints, financial losses, and sophisticated tactics used by criminals. The state has seen a 200 per cent increase in complaints compared to previous years, with over Rs 1,011 crore lost in the first nine months of 2025.
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Over 1.42 lakh complaints were filed between January and September 2025, which averages about 521 complaints per day. This surge is linked to increasing digitalisation, as well as sophisticated methods like phishing, online fraud, and identity theft, with vulnerable groups and real estate transactions being common targets
