Bengaluru: 55-year-old Andhra man arrested at Kempegowda airport for illegal smuggling of SIM cards
N. R. Srinivasa Rao, 55, from Visakhapatnam, was arrested at Kempegowda International Airport for smuggling 24 SIM cards to Cambodia. Intelligence reports alerted officials to an illegal network trafficking SIM cards abroad. Investigations reveal Rao exploited vulnerable individuals to procure SIM cards for smuggling. Authorities fear the cards may be used for cyber fraud within a larger global network.
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FollowOfficials at Kempegowda International Airport Police have captured a person engaged in the illicit transportation of SIM cards to overseas destinations. The detained individual, N. R. Srinivasa Rao, aged 55 and hailing from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, was discovered in possession of 24 SIM cards belonging to different companies, among them Jio and Airtel.
The arrest comes following intelligence reports from both the Central and State Intelligence Departments, indicating the presence of an active network engaged in illegally procuring SIM cards from different parts of India and trafficking them abroad through international courier services. Acting on this information, authorities maintained vigilance over arriving passengers and their luggage, with airport officials also alerted to the situation. Their concerted efforts culminated in the successful arrest of the accused.
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According to reports, the accused had concealed the SIM cards within a luggage bag and attempted to travel to Cambodia from Kempegowda International Airport. However, during routine baggage checks, airport authorities detected the hidden SIM cards, leading to the immediate apprehension of Srinivas Rao by airport security, who subsequently handed him over to the police.
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Investigations have revealed that Srinivasa Rao, a divorcee who discontinued his studies at the pre-university level, had no stable source of income. Exploiting this vulnerability, he engaged in lending money to unsuspecting individuals across different regions of the country, using their identities to procure SIM cards. Further inquiries suggest these SIM cards were intended for smuggling to foreign destinations.
Authorities are concerned about the potential misuse of these SIM cards for criminal activities, including cyber fraud. They suspect the existence of a large-scale global network involved in such illicit operations, with multiple individuals implicated in the scheme.
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