Crackdown On Cybercrimes: Telecom Department Orders Blocking 28,200 Mobile Handsets

In a major crackdown against the rising tide of OTP and digital scams in the country, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has ordered telecom service providers to block 28,200 mobile handsets for their alleged use in nationwide cybercriminal activities.

In a statement, the Ministry of Communications said that 20 Lakh mobile numbers were used with these mobile phones. 

“Subsequently, DoT issued directions to telecom service providers for pan India blocking of 28,200 mobile handsets and to carry out immediate reverification of 20 Lakh mobile connections linked to these mobile handsets and disconnect failing reverification,” the statement said.

The crackdown is a result of the DoT, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and various state police forces joining hands to combat cybercrime and financial frauds. “This collaborative effort aims to dismantle networks of fraudsters and protect citizens from digital threats,” the ministry said.

With increasing digitisation, there has also been a rise in cybercrimes in the country. The Centre is taking various measures to curb this surge in cybercrimes and financial frauds. 

Last month, the cyber crime unit of the MHA introduced the ‘Pratibimb’ app to help enforcement agencies and police track cyber criminals in real time and dismantle their networks.

Following the launch, the Nuh Police arrested around 30 people involved in cybercrime cases using the Pratibimb app, and seized 50 mobile phones and 90 fake SIM cards.

Recently, the DoT also launched its Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) for real-time intelligence sharing, information exchange and coordination among stakeholders, including telecom service providers, law enforcement agencies, banks and financial institutions, social media platforms and identity document issuing authorities. 

Further, the DoT launched Chakshu portal that allows the public to report suspected fraud communications received over call, SMS or WhatsApp.

Last year, the government also launched Sanchar Saathi, an AI-based portal that facilitates telecom users to trace and block their stolen devices, besides disconnecting mobile connections.

The telecom department has also implemented an AI-based facial recognition tool called ASTR that enables users to identify SIM cards issued on forged documents.