SIMs registered in citizens' names sold to criminals

Suspects confess to cheating people by handing them faulty SIMs and keeping verified ones

KARACHI:

Rizvia Police have arrested three suspects and seized a large number of biometric verified mobile phone SIMs.

Rizvia police station SHO Abid Shah revealed that the suspects have confessed to selling SIMs registered under the names of Karachi citizens to Afghan nationals. He said gangs of robbers were using SIMs obtained under citizens' names. SHO Abid Shah said that Hamza, Sikandar, and Wazir were among the arrested accused.

Suspect Hamza confessed to collecting biometric data from unsuspecting citizens at various locations, only to withhold the active SIMs and instead provide either faulty or blocked SIMs, citing issues with the biometric verification process.

The accused revealed that Kamran Afghani, holding an Afghanistan ID card, would purchase SIMs for Rs1,200 each. Hamza said he has sold over 400 SIMs to date. Wazi admitted to purchasing SIM cards registered under citizens' names from the Afghan border, which were then utilized by dacoit gangs for their illicit activities. After committing crimes, the suspect revealed that the SIM cards and mobile phones were deliberately destroyed. They obtain new SIMs and phones, enabling them to continue their criminal endeavours. SHO Abid Shah revealed that the shocking SIM card scam came to light following the arrest of the notorious White Sedan Afghan Gang.