SIM Card Scam: Seven Sentenced for Colluding with Foreign Agents

Seven individuals were sentenced to three years in prison by a Bhubaneswar court for using fake identities to obtain SIM cards, which were then used to share sensitive information with suspected Pakistani agents. The offenders, from various locations in India, were fined and incriminating materials were seized.

A court in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, handed down a three-year prison sentence to seven individuals involved in a SIM card fraud scheme designed to share sensitive information with suspected Pakistani operatives.

The Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Court imposed a Rs 32,000 fine on each convict. The offenders were apprehended by the Odisha Police's Special Task Force (STF) and identified as Pritam Kar, Soumya Ranjan Pattanaik, Pathani Samanta Lenka, Saroj Kumar Nayak, Pradyumna Sahu, Abhijit Sanjay, and Iqbal Hussain.

Despite INTERPOL's involvement, no assistance was forthcoming from Pakistani authorities. The operation concluded with the confiscation of various incriminating items including mobile phones, ATM cards, and SIM cards.

(With inputs from agencies.)