SIMs 'misused for terror', vendors face crackdown

Samaan Lateef

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Srinagar, May 7

The State Investigation Agency (SIA) today conducted multiple searches on the premises of vendors selling SIMs to militants. The raids were conducted on 19 premises across Kashmir for selling SIM cards in violation of telecom regulations.

Evidence in 3 cases

Evidence in three cases indicates SIMs were procured to help terrorists maintain communication with their handlers, say police.

Terrorist killed during Infiltration bid

• A terrorist was killed during an infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Rajouri district, a defence spokesman said.
• Army men noticed him trying to cross the border in Lam sector of Naushera. He was killed in the ensuing gunfight.

“In the face of ever-increasing misuse of SIM cards by terrorists, their overground workers, narcotics smugglers and other criminals, the SIA carried out searches on 19 premises spread all over Kashmir,” a police spokesperson said.

“In three cases, preliminary evidence strongly indicates that SIMs were procured to help the terrorists in maintaining communication with their handlers across the border and other modules inside J&K,” he said.

A vendor — M/S Airtel Micro World — in Chawalgam village of Kulgam issued a SIM card against a non-existent person, namely Gowhar Ahmad Hajam, and gave it a person who turned out to be an overground worker (OGW) of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, a terror outfit.

In another case, a vendor of Mir Mohalla Monghall of Anantnag issued a mobile connection for a subscriber who handed it over to an OGW of the Hizbul Mujahideen. The houses of all the three (the vendor, the subscriber and the OGW) were searched to look for additional evidence, he said.

The government has decided to take stringent measures against SIM sellers who are found stealing identity documents of unsuspecting subscribers and issuing SIM cards without the knowledge of original subscribers, the police said.

Action would also be taken against such traders and subscribers who obtain SIM cards in excess of six which is the maximum number of SIM cards a person is allowed, the police said.

According to the police, the government has also been considering making it an offence if a person willingly gives his SIM card to a person other than a family member for occasional and emergency use.