Bengaluru police ask DoT to permanently block SIMs of cybercriminals

The Bengaluru police have launched a novel initiative to make cybercriminals’ jobs harder, if not impossible.

They are asking the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to permanently block/deactivate SIM cards involved in cybercrimes, such as OTP fraud, sextortion, identity theft, phishing scam, financial app fraud, etc.

In a circular dated November 4, city police chief C H Pratap Reddy directed his officers to get such SIM cards blocked/deactivated permanently by the DoT.

The police would need three public complaints or an FIR against a phone number to seek its deactivation/blockage.

Reddy told DH: “This is an initiative of the Union government. It is a big tool in fighting crimes, especially cybercrimes.”

According to the top cop, the police don’t necessarily need an FIR to submit a request to the DoT. “If anyone receives three phone calls or text messages from the same number, and informs us, we will start the process to get the SIM blocked,” he said.

Raman Gupta, joint commissioner of police (Crime), said the DoT would follow its own protocol to make the SIM permanently defunct. “This will discourage fraudsters even if they are operating from far-off places,” he said.

He cited the example of identity theft committed in Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and other states.

“We cannot reach them in a short time, but this initiative helps us hit them where it hurts,” he added.

The police believe that deactivating a SIM would make cybercrime more expensive. The offender would need to spend Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 to get a new SIM and wait for up to four days to activate it through KYC verification.

“Most cybercriminals use fake documents to get SIM cards, which takes time. By then, we can prevent at least four to five cybercrimes,” another senior police officer said. “We will also block other numbers as soon as people report them.”

Cybercrimes, especially identity thefts, have been rapidly growing in Bengaluru. Out of the 1,685 identity thefts reported in 19 major cities, 1,212 happened in Bengaluru alone, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for 2021.

How it works

*To report a phone number involved in cybercrime, call 1930 or 112 and file a Cyber Incident Report (CIR) or a complaint on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP). Alternatively, you can get an FIR registered.

*Station House Officers (SHOs) will conduct an investigation and request the blocking of the SIM card by providing the following details: suspected number, FIR number and date, and an investigation report with evidence such as an ink-signed or digitally-signed copy of the CDR, or an ink-signed or digitally signed copy of the screenshot of communication (chats) between the fraudster and the complainant.

*The SHO’s request will be scrutinised by the jurisdictional ACP and forwarded to the jurisdictional DCP, the nodal officer.

*The DCP will collect and consolidate the block request and e-mail it to the DoT through a whitelisted e-mail ID. The DoT will send an acknowledgement, which will be sent to the respective police station.

*CIR/Report/NCRP teams will follow the same procedure and send the details to the DCP (Command Centre). CCB officers have to send the list to the DCP (Command Centre) through the DCP (Crime) for various crimes.

*If there are three or more CIRs or complaints on the NCRP against a particular number from three different locations, the telegraph authority may issue instructions for immediate blocking after a detailed enquiry by the field units of the DoT.