Karachi police have recently exposed a significant operation involving the illegal sale of SIM cards, originally registered in the names of local citizens, to Afghan nationals. This troubling scheme was uncovered by the Rizvia police, who managed to confiscate a substantial number of SIM cards and apprehend three individuals implicated in the operation, as reported by Express News.
According to the Station House Officer (SHO) Rizvia, Abid Shah, the SIM cards, which were meant for legitimate users, have fallen into the hands of robbery gangs, creating serious concerns about public safety. One of the suspects in custody, identified as Hamza, revealed to authorities that he had been conducting biometric verifications for local citizens at various locations but was deceptive in his practices. Instead of providing active SIM cards, he misled individuals by asserting that the biometric system was malfunctioning or supplied them with inactive SIMs.
Hamza admitted to selling over 400 SIM cards to Kamran Afghani, an Afghan national who possesses an Afghan identity card. Reports indicate that Kamran purchased each SIM card for around Rs1,200, highlighting the lucrative nature of this illegal operation. Another suspect shared that these SIM cards were procured from the Afghan border and were used by criminal organizations. Alarmingly, after executing robberies, these SIM cards, along with the mobile devices, were often destroyed to cover up any traces of criminal activity.
The arrested trio—Hamza, Sikandar, and Wazir—are currently under investigation as police work diligently to identify the Afghan nationals who purchased these SIM cards. Additionally, efforts are underway to gather data on the numbers issued and the citizens’ names under which they were registered. This illegal scheme was brought to light following the arrest of members of the “White Corolla Afghan Gang” by Taimuria police, who are believed to be involved in a series of house robberies, further underscoring the need for heightened vigilance in combating such criminal activities.
