New Delhi: The Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police on Saturday announced the dismantling of a nationwide SIM Box racket, arresting seven alleged cybercriminals, including a Taiwanese national.

The syndicate utilised a large-scale SIM Box infrastructure to exploit telecommunications vulnerabilities and orchestrate cyber fraud against citizens across India, according to an official statement.

During the multi-state crackdown, investigators seized thousands of illegally obtained SIM cards. A SIM Box is a specialised hardware device that houses hundreds of SIM cards simultaneously, allowing operators to route international calls through the internet to appear as local traffic. This method effectively bypasses international termination fees and regulatory oversight, while also masking the true origin of communications.

Police reported that the group utilised these devices to transmit bulk SMS messages featuring phishing links, fraudulent loan offers, and deceptive investment schemes. The technological layer provided by the SIM Boxes made it exceptionally difficult for law enforcement agencies to trace the illicit activities.

Fake Government Recruitment Racket

This latest operation follows a major IFSO breakthrough in December 2025, when officials dismantled a sophisticated syndicate that impersonated the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to defraud job seekers.

In that case, the accused created a highly convincing, forged ASI recruitment portal to advertise non-existent government vacancies. The fraudulent site meticulously replicated the Ministry of Culture’s official layouts, logos, and colour schemes, making it virtually indistinguishable from the legitimate portal.

The group allegedly advertised seven positions for Curator and 84 for Junior Assistant, circulating links to the fake site through student messaging groups and online forums to target unemployed youth. Police have registered a case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Special Cell police station.

Further investigation into the SIM Box syndicate's international links and additional victims of the recruitment scam remains ongoing.

With inputs from ANI