Andhra Pradesh CID busts international cybercrime racket, arrests 14 persons

The cybercrime wing of the A.P. Crime Investigation Department (CID), in association with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has busted a racket involving criminals from various countries. Acting on the directions of CID Director-General of Police Ravi Shankar Ayyanar, several teams have conducted raids in Goa, West Bengal, Telangana, Odisha, Visakhapatnam and Bihar, and arrested 14 persons, including a Vietnam national, on charges of their involvement in the racket. The investigation officers confiscated 14 SIM boxes, 1,496 SIM cards, eight routers, seven cameras, 22 cellphones, and other electronic gadgets, Adhiraj Singh Rana, CID (Cybercrime) Superintendent of Police, told newsmen at the CID headquarters in Mangalagiri on Friday. The accused were collecting SIM cards using fake fingerprints, e-KYC, ID cards, and other documents, and using them for committing various crimes, he said. DoT Deputy Director General Hemanth Rathwae, while explaining the modus operandi of the accused, appealed to the people to be cautious while submitting details to the telecom operators. He also appealed to the public to cooperate with the Telecom Department and the police in preventing frauds. CID Deputy SP B. Ravi Kiran said cyber offenders from Cambodia, Vietnam, Mayanmar, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries were involved in the racket. The accused caused a loss of about ₹20 crore in the State, he said. “The accused were routing international calls as local calls by using SIM boxes imported from China and resorting to digital and other frauds,” Mr. Ravi Kiran said. “The CID will conduct more raids in the neighbouring States soon,” the investigation officers said. Mr. Ravi Shankar appreciated the officers for unearthing the international racket. Published - December 26, 2025 07:12 pm IST

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