in Operation GHOST SIM: Assam Police, along with the Indian Army’s Gajraj Military Intelligence team, launched a huge operation called Operation GHOST SIM in one of the biggest crackdowns on cybercrime in India.
They targeted a big group of people who were using fake SIM cards for cyber fraud and for doing things that go against the country. These SIMs were also being used to pass on secret information to agents based in Pakistan. The people involved were doing more than just cheating online they were also helping with anti-national activities like spying.
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The police had started looking into the case seriously after filing an FIR on 14 May 2025 at the STF Police Station in Assam. The FIR was registered under Case No. 02/2025. The police charged the people involved under Sections 61(2), 147, 148, and 62 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UA(P) Act), and Section 66 of the IT Act. These sections deal with serious crimes like promoting unlawful activity, spreading violence, and doing fraud online.
According to India Today NE, on 16 May 2025, a coordinated operation led to the arrest of 7 individuals:
- Saddik (47) – Bharatpur, Rajasthan
- Arif Khan (20) – Alwar, Rajasthan
- Sajid (21) – Alwar, Rajasthan
- Akeek (25) – Bharatpur, arrested at Guwahati Airport
- Arsad Khan (34) – Bharatpur, arrested at New Delhi Airport
- Mofijul Islam (19) – Dhubri, Assam, arrested in Sangareddy, Telangana
- Jakariya Ahmad (24) – Dhubri, Assam
In addition, 14 more suspects were detained from Dhubri district, and interrogation is underway to determine their involvement.
Operation GHOST SIM Spreads Across Three States
The operation was not limited to one place. Police and military intelligence teams worked together and sent teams to five different districts in three states Assam, Rajasthan, and Telangana. In Assam, they went to Dhubri and Morigaon districts. In Rajasthan, they searched Bharatpur and Alwar. On the other hand in Telangana, they targeted Sangareddy district. They also found and seized a total of 948 SIM cards from the arrested people.
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Along with the SIM cards, they also recovered many devices that were used to do cyber fraud and send illegal messages. These included phones, SIM boxes, and other tools used in online cheating and secret communications. Police sources confirmed that all these SIM cards were made using fake and forged documents. Criminals were using these to hide their real names and stay untraceable while committing crimes online and doing activities that go against national interest.
One police officer shared that the criminals were not just using fake documents to get SIM cards but also spreading them across state lines. This made it very hard to track them down. The SIMs were being used for cyber frauds, but more dangerously, they were also helping people who were collecting secret information for Pakistan-based handlers.
