Arrested Chinese Infiltrator Confesses about Smuggling 1,300 Indian SIM Cards to China

New Delhi:

The Chinese citizen detained by the Border Security Force (BSF) on Thursday informed authorities probing him that at least 1,300 Indian mobile phone SIM cards had been trafficked to China in the preceding two years. 

"The SIM cards were used to hack accounts and commit other types of financial frauds. At least 1,300 Indian SIM cards were smuggled to China." At least 1,300 Indian SIM cards were smuggled into China," stated SS Guleria, DIG BSF (South Bengal Frontier), stating that the accused's testimonies must be confirmed. 

It's unclear how they obtained such a big number of SIM cards in the first place. Police questioning further showed that Junwe's colleagues used to sneak SIM cards out of India by hiding them in their underwear. 

According to authorities, the Border Security Force apprehended a 35-year-old Chinese man along the India-Bangladesh border today. He was nabbed in West Bengal's Malda district near the border for "suspicious activities," according to authorities. A Chinese passport with a Bangladeshi visa, a laptop, and three SIM cards was seized from the individual, identified as Han Junwei by security officers.

Sun Jiang, one of his accomplices, was detained early this year by UP police. 

Sun Jiang was labelled as an accomplice by the UP police during his interrogation, and the procedure of issuing a Blue notice was launched. A Blue Notice is used to gather further information on a person's identity, whereabouts, or actions in relation to a crime. 

Han Junwe informed the intelligence officers shortly after his detention that his application for an Indian visa had been denied following Sun Jiang's arrest, leaving him with little choice but to attempt to infiltrate India through Bangladesh or Nepal. 

Han Junwe reportedly informed BSF personnel during his preliminary interrogation that he owned a hotel in Gurugram and has visited India at least four times since 2010. According to the authorities, and while some of the hotel employees are Chinese, many Indian nationals have also been worked there.

The matter has been turned over to the West Bengal Police by the BSF. On Friday morning, a four-member team from the Uttar Pradesh Police Anti-Terrorist Squad arrived in Malda to question the suspects and take over the probe. 

"It is here that the role of specialised agencies like the ATS and NIA comes into play. The electronic gadgets need to be scanned as a lot of information could be hidden in them," said a senior BSF official. 

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