Odisha STF Cracks Down on Fake SIM Cards & OTP Sharing Scam; Suspect’s Links with Pakistan Unveiled

Bhubaneswar: The Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha police has made the decision to invoke the National Security Act (NSA) against Pathanisamant Lenka, the alleged mastermind behind a fraudulent scheme involving fake SIM cards and the sharing of One-Time Passwords (OTPs). Reports indicate that the STF has taken this action after establishing Lenka’s connections with Pakistani intelligence agents.

In order to delve deeper into the case, the STF has also focused its investigation on the telecom service providers involved. Lenka, along with two other individuals named Saroj Kumar Nayak and Soumya Pattanaik, was apprehended on charges related to the sale and sharing of OTPs with criminals and elements opposed to the nation’s interests. It has been revealed that one of the accused is an ITI (Industrial Training Institute) teacher.

According to senior STF officials, the accused received payment from Pakistani agents operating within India. Additionally, they maintained contact with a female Pakistani intelligence agent who had been arrested the previous year in Rajasthan for violating the Official Secrets Act through a Honey-Trap operation.

The OTPs obtained through illicit activities were utilized to create numerous accounts and channels on popular social media platforms such as Whatsapp, Telegram, Facebook, and Instagram. They were also used to register accounts on online shopping websites like Amazon and Flipkart, as well as for opening email accounts. While these accounts appeared to be owned by Indian individuals, they were actually operated from Pakistan.

The aforementioned social media platforms were subsequently exploited for a wide range of anti-India activities, including spying, communication with terrorists, radicalization, disseminating anti-India propaganda, fostering divisive sentiments on social media, engaging in sextortion, and conducting Honey-Trap operations.

Starting tomorrow, the STF plans to take Lenka into custody for further interrogation, aiming to extract more information regarding the case.