Sixty-six arrested in Hyderabad in police crackdown on ‘Ghost SIM’ cyber fraud network.
Sixty-six people were arrested by the Cyber Crime Station of the Hyderabad City Police as part of “Operation Octopus 3.0”, a nationwide sweep targeting “Ghost SIM” networks that allegedly enable organized cyber fraud across India.
According to Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar, the operation was launched after the earlier phases of Operation Octopus, which targeted mule account holders and bank officials allegedly aiding cyber fraud. The final phase focused on dismantling the networks involved in the supply of fraudulent SIM cards used by cybercriminals to hide their identities.
The commissioner said that during the investigation, 194 Ghost SIMs linked to cyber crime cases registered at the cyber crime police station were identified. During the seven-day operation, 18 teams were deployed in 13 states.
The operation covered Telangana, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Punjab.
“544 SIM cards were seized within Hyderabad city limits by the Cyber Crime Police Special Task Force. Of these, 432 were sealed SIM cards allegedly awaiting deployment for cyber crime activities. Among the 66 arrested were 44 alleged Ghost SIM holders, 20 point-of-sale agents or telecom promoters and two alleged suppliers,” the officer said.
He added that the accused were collectively linked to 76 cybercrime cases across India involving an alleged fraud of ₹101.87 crore.
During the investigation, the police found that some agents at the point of sale allegedly activated additional SIM cards while verifying the portability of eKYC mobile numbers without the knowledge of customers and converted them into eSIMs for sending abroad.
Investigators also found that some agents allegedly offered free SIM activation to digitally illiterate individuals and diverted SIM cards to distributors for a commission to use in overseas cyber fraud.
Police further alleged that customers were induced to hand over SIM cards which were later supplied to fraud networks, while in some cases one-time passwords were obtained from customers to create fake profiles on WhatsApp, social media, dating and matrimonial platforms.
The investigation also revealed that mass SIM card distribution camps were allegedly organized in villages under the guise of free SIM card distribution, targeting illiterate individuals and misusing their Aadhaar identity.
Hyderabad police said the operation was part of a larger initiative to address systemic loopholes that enable cybercrime. Over the past six months, officials have held meetings with banks and regulators regarding mule accounts, KYC verification and fraud prevention measures.
The police said structured meetings will soon be held with telecom service providers to strengthen oversight of point-of-sale agents, improve verification protocols and introduce stronger mechanisms to curb misuse of SIM cards.
The operation was conducted under the supervision of DCP Cybercrimes V. Aravind Babu and ACP Cybercrimes Siva Maruthi along with teams from the Cyber Crime Police Station, Detective Inspectors and Armed Reserves.
Published – 20 May 2026 21:21 IST