The Sri Ganganagar Cyber police have arrested Sunil Nayak, a key suspect in a cyber-fraud case involving over Rs 1,100 crore perpetrated by a foreign gang. He allegedly arranged mobile SIM cards fraudulently and sent them through illegal channels to the gang. The police produced him before a court in Sri Ganganagar today, which granted two-day police remand.
Police said Sunil Nayak used to sell SIM cards by setting up stalls at various locations in Anupgarh. He allegedly misused the ID proofs of customers who came to purchase new SIM cards. In this manner, he obtained SIM cards in the names of hundreds of people and allegedly supplied them to cyber fraudsters. These SIMs eventually reached Cambodia, where fraudsters used them to defraud a large number of people.
It is alleged that Sunil procured over 500 such SIM cards but received only Rs 300 to 500 for each. Sunil had no inkling of the scale of the cyber fraud for which these SIM cards would ultimately be used. The scam was first exposed in January 2026. The investigation indicated that its roots were in Sri Ganganagar. A case was registered on January 27.
Two local complaints provided the leads. A SIM card issued in Barkat Khan’s name was used to defraud victims of Rs 8.9 crore in Cyberabad, Telangana; the SIM was found to be active in Cambodia. The second complaint also pertained to fraud carried out via WhatsApp numbers. Reverse tracking by Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre revealed that between September and November 2025, of 2,30,000 suspicious Indian mobile numbers, 36,000 SIM cards were active on international roaming in Cambodia.
Of these, about 5,300 SIM cards were directly used in fraudulent activities, resulting in total losses exceeding Rs 1,100 crore. The fraud was primarily carried out through investment scams, trading frauds, and calls from fraudulent mobile numbers.
Police said the primary masterminds behind the syndicate are four Malaysian nationals, against whom Look Out Circulars (LOCs) have been issued. The gang’s operations were predominantly orchestrated from call centres run by Chinese syndicates in Cambodia. Unemployed youths from Rajasthan and other states were lured to Vietnam or Cambodia under the pretext of job opportunities. Their personal documents were subsequently confiscated, and they were compelled to impersonate police officers or investment advisors to defraud Indian citizens.
