SIA raids multiple locations in Kashmir in connection with misuse of SIM cards by militants
State Investigation Agency (SIA) of J&K on Saturday carried out multiple raids in Kashmir in connection with alleged misuse of mobile SIMs by militants and their associates, the agency said.
The SIA carried out searches in 19 premises spread all over Kashmir in 11 different FIRs related to issuance of mobile SIMs and their alleged misuse by militants.
“In the face of ever increasing misuse of SIM cards by terrorists, their OGW (overground worker) associates, narcotics smugglers and other criminals, searches were carried at 19 premises spread all over Kashmir,” a statement said.
It said a majority of the premises belonged to Point of Sale (POS) vendors who sold these cards in violation of Department of Telecom regulations and in a manner that amounts to forgery and cheating.
The SIA said in three cases, preliminary evidence strongly indicated that the SIMs were procured to help the militants in maintaining their communication with their handlers across the border and other modules inside J&K.
The SIA cited the example of one POS vendor in Chawalgam in Kulgam and under the name M/S Airtel Micro World created a SIM card against a non-existent fictitious person namely Gowhar Ahmad Hajam and gave the SIM card to a person in Qaimoh in Kulgam who turned out to be an OGW of terror outfit Ansar-u- Gazwatul Hind.
In yet another case a PoS vendor of Mir Mohalla Monghall of Anantnag issued a SIM card for a subscriber who handed it over to an OGW of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit. The houses of all the three – the vendor, the subscriber and the OGW – were searched to look for additional evidence, the Agency said.
In a third instance, four PoS vendors one belonging to Konibal in Pampore, another to Walina, Ichgam in Budgam, the third one to Barzullah in Srinagar and forth one to Lasjan issued SIMS in the name of real persons by stealing their identity and misusing their identity documents. Subsequently these POS vendors fraudulently issued the SIM cards to unauthorized persons without the knowledge of the original persons.
The Agency said the Government has decided to take stringent measures against POS SIM card sellers who are found to be stealing identity documents of unsuspecting subscribers and issuing SIM cards without the knowledge of original subscribers.
Similarly POS SIM card sellers who are found creating SIM cards on the basis of forged documents in the name of persons who do not exist in real life will also be proceeded against by invoking the most stern provisions of law, it said.