Bhubaneswar, March 3, 2026 – The Commissionerate Police achieved a massive breakthrough in the fight against digital crime on Monday. During a precision raid at a private boys’ hostel in the Chandrasekharpur area, officials dismantled an international illegal telecom exchange. The operation led to the seizure of 12 China-made SIM boxes and the arrest of two individuals from Kerala.
The arrested suspects are 27-year-old Ummar M, a civil engineering dropout, and Siyahul Haq, aged 28. Police reports indicate the duo had been operating this illegal hub for at least four months. This bust highlights the growing sophistication of cybercrime networks using the Odisha capital as a base for cross-border activities.
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Modus Operandi: How the VoIP Scam Worked
The special squad, alongside the Department of Telecommunication (DoT), acted on high-level intelligence regarding illegal call routing. The accused used specialized VOS 3000 software, a Chinese-developed application, to run a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) platform. By connecting international calls through these SIM boxes, they masked the original foreign numbers.
This setup allowed international calls from Middle Eastern and European countries to appear as local Indian numbers on a victim’s screen. Fraudsters used this mask to build trust and execute “digital arrest” scams and investment frauds. This practice not only dupes citizens but also causes massive revenue losses to legitimate telecom providers.
The Global Network: China and Bangladesh Connections
Investigators revealed that the hardware was sourced directly from China, while the critical software originated in Bangladesh. To keep the operation running, the duo sourced hundreds of pre-activated SIM cards from states like Assam and Andhra Pradesh.
The scale of the operation is staggering. Police found that the suspects were using nearly 150 SIM cards every month. According to ACP Himansu Bhusan Swain, a Chinese mastermind remotely controlled the entire platform. For their local “maintenance” work, the two arrested men reportedly received monthly payments ranging from $100,000 to $150,000.
Strengthening National Security Against Cyber Threats
This successful raid follows a similar seizure in the Laxmi Sagar area in late 2024. However, the current bust suggests a much deeper international link involving syndicates in Myanmar and Southeast Asia. DCP Jagmohan Meena confirmed that forensic experts are currently examining a seized laptop, routers, and incriminating digital data.
Authorities believe this operation posed a severe threat to national security. By bypassing official gateways, these illegal exchanges allow untraceable communication. The Commissionerate Police are now coordinating with central agencies to trace the financial trail and identify other local associates involved in this high-stakes racket.