Three held from MP for sending 400 SIM cards to Laos online fraud network

Indore: MP Police exposed the purported link between a gang and an online fraud network operated from Laos by arresting three persons who sent around 400 SIM cards to the suspected mastermind based in the Southeast Asian country, an official said.

The arrested persons, identified as Gaurav Tiwari (22), Yogesh Patel (24), and Sujal Suryavanshi (21), are all residents of Seoni district in Madhya Pradesh.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Rajesh Dandotia said on Tuesday that the trio misused the identity documents of local villagers to obtain approximately 450 duplicate SIM cards in their names.

"Around 400 SIM cards were sent to a person named Kalis, a native of Firozpur district in Punjab, who is currently operating a gang of online frauds from Laos," he said.

Dandotia said Kalis and his gang defrauded a 59-year-old woman from Indore in December 2024. The woman was tricked into believing she was "digitally arrested" and was scammed out of Rs 1.60 crore.

"We have got clues that a video call was made from Laos to trap this woman in the fraud," he said.

In connection with this case, 13 persons have already been arrested across various states for their involvement in the scam. Authorities are continuing their investigation into the growing phenomenon of "digital arrest" frauds, the police officer added.

The "digital arrest" is a new form of cybercrime in which fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officials and use video or audio calls to falsely claim the victim is involved in criminal activity.

The criminals then exploit their victims by threatening them with "legal actions", and holding them "digitally hostage" until they pay large sums of money.