Hyderabad: Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) and the Department of Telecommunications dismantled a SIM box racket in Chandrayangutta, Hyderabad, and arrested three men. TGCSB Director Shikha Goel said on Thursday that the operation led to the seizure of one SIM box and nearly 200 SIM cards.
The investigation began after the Department of Telecommunications received a complaint through the “Chakshu Portal” about possible cyber fraud. Acting on the lead, TGCSB teams analysed call detail records and tracked the location of the illegal setup. Officials then carried out a raid and exposed the operation.
Cyber security bureau arrests three in SIM box case
Police named the accused as Hidayatullah (28) from Hafiz Baba Nagar, SIM card seller Ahad Khan (25), and sales agent Shaik Shoaib (24) from Phool Bagh. Officers explained that Hidayatullah had suffered losses in a car business. Later, he was introduced to a woman named Venissa, who convinced him to install a SIM box. In February 2025, he received the device by courier, and Venissa guided him through the installation process over a video call.
Hidayatullah then contacted his associate Ahad Khan. Khan, along with Shoaib, was working as a POS agent for BSNL and Vodafone. The two exploited the Aadhaar credentials of construction workers in Kollur to obtain SIM cards fraudulently. Together, they arranged nearly 500 SIM cards for the racket. Moreover, they ensured a steady supply of new cards to keep the system running.
SIM box used to route international calls as local
Investigators revealed that the accused used the SIM box to convert international VoIP calls into local calls. Consequently, cyber criminals disguised their identities while making large volumes of calls. Officials traced several of these connections to international networks. Investigators found that the racket supported a wider cyber fraud scheme with links outside India. Police filed a case and pressed ahead with the investigation to trace additional connections. Officers also warned citizens to stay alert to suspicious calls from foreign numbers.
According to the bureau, awareness among the public remained critical in preventing cyber criminals from exploiting such illegal setups.
