The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), in partnership with Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), has disconnected 1.77 crore mobile connections issued using fake or forged documents. Additionally, 33.48 lakh mobile connections and 49,930 mobile handsets used by cybercriminals in high-risk areas have been deactivated.
To prevent misuse, 77.61 lakh mobile connections exceeding individual limits were disconnected, and 2.29 lakh mobile phones involved in cybercrime or fraud were blocked nationwide. Among 21.03 lakh reported lost or stolen mobile phones, 12.02 lakh have been successfully traced.
In a crackdown on malicious SMS activities, 20,000 entities, 32,000 SMS headers, and 2 lakh SMS templates were deactivated. Approximately 11 lakh bank and payment wallet accounts linked to fraudulent connections were frozen, and WhatsApp has disengaged nearly 11 lakh accounts linked to fake connections. Additionally, 71,000 Point of Sale (SIM agents) have been blacklisted, and 365 FIRs have been filed across multiple states and UTs.
