Cuttack: Two days after an illegal SIM Box set up was unearthed in Bhubaneswar, the Commissionerate Police today seized more SIM Boxes in Cuttack.

Based on the information provided by Raju Mondal, who was arrested in the Bhubaneswar SIM Box case, the police raided a building in Rajendranagar area under Madhupatna police limits. Along with a cyber team of the State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL), the Commissionerate Police searched a rented flat in the building.

Accused Mondal, who has been on a five-day remand, was also brought to the flat. He provided information to the police where another SIM Box was hidden. During the search five SIM Boxes were found in active condition in a cupboard. Lights on the devices were blinking. As many as 236 SIMs were found fitted on these devices, apart from 310 extra SIMs on the wood rack.

Following the raid, the police have cordoned off the building. Tenants in other flats of the building as well as the owner were questioned.

The police will also examine the CCTVs installed in and around the building to find out the movement of suspects in the SIM Box case. Involvement of more persons in the case cannot be ruled out, said a police officer on condition of anonymity.

The police official added another SIM Box, as per the information provided by Mondal, has been operational in Kolkata.

Tenants in the building said Mondal used to visit the building in Rajendrangar in a motorcycle in night hours and leave the house before dawn.

He was also staying in that building on rent few months earlier. While taking the flat on rent on December 2023, Mondal had told the building owner that he was working with a telecom company and had paid Rs 8,000 per month rent for clothes business.

Earlier in the day, Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh said the funds for the SIM Box set up were being routed through ‘hawala’ channel. The money was being brought to Bhubaneswar through the Bangladesh border.

Mondal, who hails from West Bengal, used to pay the house rent, internet charges and other expenses, through cash. He was arrested on Friday from a rented house in Laxmisagar area in Bhubaneswar following a tip-off.

Police Commissioner Sanjeeb Panda yesterday said Asadur Zaman, a Bangladesh national, was the handler of Mondal. Zaman was paying for all the expenses of Mondal.

The police on Friday seized 255 active SIMs from seven SIM Boxes. Calls from several countries including China, Pakistan and the Middle East were received through the seized SIM Boxes.

The Commissionerate of Police is also investigating to find out whether the SIM Boxes were being used for terror activities or cyber fraud.

A SIM Box is a device through which SMS messages and calls can be routed through a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) system using multiple SIM cards from different mobile operators.

With the help of the SIM Box VoIP calls can be intercepted and routed through a SIM card to the mobile network, appearing as a local call. SMS messages can be sent through prepaid SIM cards in the box.