Mumbai, January 27: Anti-terror agencies in the country are grappling with a menace which they claim has the potential to hamper several terror investigations. By using fake mobile SIM cards terror operatives are not only coordinating their plans, but are also evading the security radar, easily.
Even the mastermind of the July 2011 Mumbai serial blasts managed to execute the attack using a fake SIM card. Ahmed Zarar Siddibuppa alias Imran alias Yasin Bhatkal the alleged mastermind of the July 2011 Mumbai serial blasts reportedly coordinated with the bomb planters at Zaveri Bazaar and Opera House using a fake number. The forged documents used to acquire this number were bought for a mere Rs 3.
More shockingly, a fake SIM card can be registered using anyone’s original documents without his or her knowledge and can be used by terror operatives easily.
It was the arrest of one such fake SIM card dealer that led the Maharashtra ATS to make the first two arrests in the 13/7 serial blasts case.
MTNL agent Ganesh Vitthal Tikole was arrested for allegedly selling photocopies of original documents of people who had approached him for authentic pre-paid SIM cards.
Hundreds of documents and pictures were sold for Rs 3 each to facilitate the registration of fake SIM cards with various service providers. Some of these fake SIM cards sold at a premium were being used by IM operatives in Mumbai, Pune and Bihar. This trail led investigators to Darbhanga where IM operatives were indoctrinated.
In fact, out of the 26,450 SIM cards examined by the police in 2010, almost 9000 turned out to be fake. Nearly 5000 such SIM cards and over a thousand forged documents were also seized earlier in January from another dealer.
The Maharashtra ATS has now raised the issue with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. While both the dealers and the service providers are passing the buck when it comes to verification of documents, the menace of fake SIM cards has become one of the biggest hurdles for anti-terror agencies across the country.
Courtesy: IBNlive