Bihar, Jharkhand: Telecom department deactivates 2.25 lakh mobile numbers

According to a latest update from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), it has deactivated more than 2.25 lakh mobile phone numbers in Bihar and Jharkhand in April as the majority of the SIM cards were allegedly procured through forged documents.

Notably, around 517 Points of Sales (PoS) have been prima facie found to be involved in unethical and illegal practices while issuing SIM cards which are blacklisted , according to the Telecom Service Providers.

More than 2.25 lakh mobile numbers were terminated in both states in April 2023 alone, according to a statement made by the Special Director General Telecom, DoT (Licenced Service Areas-LSA-Bihar). The bulk of SIM cards were obtained using unethical or illegal techniques. Reportedly, Jharkhand also comes under the jurisdiction of DoT.

According to the sources, the FIRs have been filed in several districts throughout Bihar as well as Jharkhand by the telecom department. The DoT, Patna Office is in contact with the state police as well and has shared the intelligence developed using a facial recognition and artificial intelligence-powered system for telecom SIM Subscriber Verification analysis. Additionally, the state police have promised to take appropriate action against SIM scammers.

The department said that over seven crore SIM subscribers’ facial data has been analysed and has been compiled in Bihar and Jharkhand. they also shared that the Department of Telecom and telecom service providers, along with the state police are working together in cohesion to nab the SIM fraudster. The department also said that the cyber-world is witnessing new types of offenders and victims daily and the department is taking the lead to curb cyber menace.

According to the department, the facial analysis of more than 87 crore users has been done across India. ASTR has been used to analyse the association with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing. To ensure action against SIM fraudsters with the aid of Telecom Service Providers and state police, the analysis’ findings have been communicated to the Department of Telecommunication field units.