Bhubaneswar: Divulging more details on the SIM Box cases, the Commissionerate of Police today stated most of the calls received through the devices were from the Middle East.

Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh said after examining the call details received through the 17 seized SIM Boxes, it was found that the maximum calls were being made from the Middle East. Elaborating how the calls are being routed through the SIM Boxes, the Bhubaneswar DCP said callers were being given coupon cards which they utilised to make calls at cheaper rates. The SIM Boxes were acting as exchanges of the calls being made by the callers through mobile apps, Singh added.

Mentioning that the SIMs for the SIM Boxes were procured from 24 Pragana area of West Bengal State, the Bhubaneswar DCP said the investigation revealed the SIMs were all fake. 

The accused in the SIM Box case, Raju Mondal who hails from 24 Pragana area, was procuring the SIM Boxes from China. The Bhubaneswar DCP declined to divulge further details how Mondal was smuggling those devices from China to India.

Singh added Mondal along with Asadur Zaman, a Bangladesh national, was staying in the Nest Hotel in Bhubaneswar. The DCP said the records of the hotel also substantiate the fact that Mondal and Zaman stayed there.

The police official said Mondal had been misleading the investigating team by saying that they were staying at the Lingaraj Hotel. However, cross-examinations of Mondal revealed about his visit to the Nest Hotel. The police will also question the Nest Hotel authorities for not informing about the Bangladesh national’s stay.

Help of Immigration Department sought

Informing about the investigation progress on Zaman, the Bhubaneswar DCP said the help of immigration authorities has been sought on the Bangladesh national’s India visit. Singh, however, refused to divulge the exact location of Zaman.

The Commissionerate of Police has seized a total of 17 SIM Boxes, 678 operational SIMs and three internet connections from Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Ranchi.

A SIM Box is a device through which SMS messages and calls can be routed through a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) system using multiple SIM cards from different mobile operators. 

With the help of the SIM Box VoIP calls can be intercepted and routed through a SIM card to the mobile network, appearing as local calls. SMS messages can be sent through prepaid SIM cards in the box.