By Biswanath Dash
BHUBANESWAR: Basing on the intelligence input about OTP sharing to some criminals and anti-national elements, STF conducted raids and three accused persons were apprehended namely Pathanisamant Lenka, 35 Years S/o. Late Purna Chandra Lenkaof Badapandusar PS. Itamati Dist. Nayagarh ( ITI Teacher), Saroj Kumar Nayak @Amit, 26 Years S/o. Suresh Nayak of Sakeni PO: Poibadi PS. Dasapalla Dist. Nayagarhat present staying C/o.Jyostna Sahoo, near ITI College, Achyutnagar Lane-2,Nayagarh Dist. Nayagarh and Soumya Pattanaik, 19 Years S/o. Binay KumarPattanaik of Udayapur , Sujanpur Dist. Jajpur.
During raid various incriminating materials such as mobile phones, pre-activated SIM Cards, Laptop etc. were seizedfrom their possession. The accused persons could not give any satisfactory answer regarding sharing of OTPs and other information’s to foreign nationals. For which they have been arrested and forwarded to the court of SDJM, Bhubaneswar on13.05.2023. In this connection STF PS Case No. 10 Dt 12.05.2023, U/s 419/ 420/465/ 467/ 468/471/120(B)/34 IPC r/w. 66 C & 66 D IT Act, 2000. Investigation is on. The seized materials included-19 costly mobile phones (Including Apple mobile)47 SIM Cards61 ATM cards23 SIM coversThey were fraudulently procuring huge numbers of SIMs in other’s name and sellingthe OTPs (linked/generated using the SIMs) to various clients including somePakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIO)/ ISI agents in Pakistan as well as in India. Inreturn they would be paid by some Pakistani agents based in India. They were alsoin the touch with a female PIO agent who was arrested last year in an Official secretsAct/ Honey-Trap case in Rajsthan.
These OTPs were than used to create various accounts/ Channels on social medialike Whatsapp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram etc. and also on online shopping sitelike Amazon, Flipkart etc. These are also used in opening email accounts. People will think that these accounts are owned by an Indian but actually operated from Pakistan. These social media platform than will be used in various kinds of Anti-India activities like Spying, communication with terrorists, radicalization, running anti-India propaganda, fuelling anti-India/ divisive sentiments on social media, sextortion, Honey-trapping etc. As these accounts are registered/linked on an Indian mobile numbers people find it trustworthy. The accounts opened on online shopping platforms are also used to supply items to terrorists, anti-India elements etc.Apart from these they were also in business of creating and selling mule accounts through social media groups which are again used in various kinds of crimes
