Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Aug 23; A day after revealing details about Asadur Zaman, the mastermind behind the SIM box racket, Commissionerate Police placed key accused Raju Mandal under another two-day remand on Friday.
Asadur Zaman, a Bangladeshi national, was identified as the handler of Mandal, who was arrested on August 17 from a Bhubaneswar residence with over 1,000 pre-activated SIM cards, routers, and other equipment. Following his arrest, a local court granted Odisha Police a five-day remand for Mandal.
Odisha Police have requested assistance from the NIA and Interpol to investigate potential terrorist links between Mandal and Asadur. The latter is believed to have operated SIM box centers in Bhubaneswar and Ranchi, with connections to Dhaka. Mandal is accused of procuring devices and fake SIM cards from Asadur and installing them in rented properties in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, and Ranchi.
During raids in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, police seized 12 SIM boxes, 481 SIM cards, and 810 standby SIM cards. An additional five SIM boxes were found in Ranchi. The SIM boxes were reportedly used to make international calls to countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Turkey, prompting concerns about potential terrorist activities.
