Bhubaneswar: A team of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials from Delhi, assisted by officers of the Odisha CBI, conducted a day-long raid at a mobile SIM card and recharge shop at Kujang in Jagatsinghpur district on Thursday in connection with an alleged cybercrime and fake SIM card activation racket.

The raid began around 9 am and continued until 7.30 pm. During the search, the CBI team reportedly detected more than 400 SIM cards that had allegedly been activated from the shop using fraudulent or false address details. The investigating officials prepared a list of the SIM cards and reportedly took the details with them for further investigation.

The shop owner, identified as Rajesh Nayak alias Raja, son of late Gobinda Nayak of Pariang village under Kujang police limits, was reportedly asked to appear before the CBI at its Bhubaneswar office at around 10 am on September 12 (Saturday). He was released after giving a written undertaking to appear before the agency.

According to information available, the action is linked to a larger investigation into cybercrime and fraud cases. The CBI has reportedly been conducting simultaneous searches in Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan as part of the investigation.

The Kujang connection reportedly came to light during a CBI investigation into a case in Bihar. During the investigation, officials allegedly found that around 58 SIM cards belonging to different telecom companies had been activated from a shop in Kujang.

CBI officials reportedly found more than 400 SIM cards activated through various forms of alleged fraud, including the use of false addresses. However, the agency did not provide detailed information to the media regarding the raid or the ongoing investigation.

Sources further claimed that details of SIM cards activated in rural areas were allegedly being made available to cyber fraudsters. Such information could potentially be used to target SIM users and access details related to their online financial transactions. Investigators suspect that the SIM cards may have been linked to cyber fraud involving large sums of money.

The CBI action reportedly followed complaints concerning the alleged misuse of such SIM cards. Searches are said to be continuing simultaneously across five states.

This is not the first time that the Kujang area has come under scrutiny in connection with alleged cybercrime-related activities. According to local reports, the West Bengal Police had arrested three persons from the Kujang area last year while investigating a similar cybercrime case. In another instance, more than 900 SIM cards allegedly carrying fake or false address details were reportedly recovered from another businessman in the area.

The latest CBI raid has brought renewed attention to the alleged misuse of SIM activation facilities and the growing network of cyber fraud operations.