Seven PDS dealers arrested for procuring SIM with forged

Eight persons including seven Public Distribution System (PDS) dealers were arrested for allegedly procuring mobile SIM cards with forged documents and withdrawing foodgrain meant for bonafide beneficiaries, a senior police officer said Sunday.

Based on a tip-off, a special police team headed by Superintendent of Police (City) Prabhak Kumar was formed to detect the racket involved in the illegal activities, said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Anoop Birtharay.

Addressing a press conference here, Birtharay, said the special police team in course of investigation arrested one Sachin Kumar Das, a native of Jasidih police station of Deoghar district and living in Bagunhatu here.

Police has recovered 133 SIM cards procured with fake documents and three mobile phones from his possession, SSP said, adding a case has been registered against Das under various sections of IPC under Sidgora police station on Saturday.

During the interrogation, Das confessed that he used to sell the SIM cards to PDS dealers and criminals at Rs 120 per SIM.

He further said the PDS dealers, in turn, used to link the new number procured fraudulently in the name of a bonafide ration card holders and withdraw their ration with the help of One Time Password (OTP), which the dealer was receiving.

Such activities was going on for past one year, Das admitted before the police.

On the basis of lead provided by Das, Birtharay said police conducted raids and arrested seven PDS dealers for withdrawing ration fraudulently in the name of bonafide ration card holders and selling it in the market.

Some of the SIM cards procured in similar fashion was also supplied to the criminals, who have been using it in committing crimes in the city, the SSP said adding that police investigation was on to identify those criminals, who have purchased the fake SIM cards from Das.

Birtharay said, 438 fake SIM cards, 13 mobile phones, one laptop and one tablet was recovered from them.