Fake village health camps took Aadhaar data and biometrics to get 3,000 SIMs, police say

Illustrative stock image via Unsplash. It does not depict the organisations named.

Delhi Police's IFSO unit says two men from Mathura ran free 'health camps' in villages to collect Aadhaar details and biometrics, then used them to get SIMs and e-SIMs for cyber fraud gangs. What police say, and how to check for SIMs in your name.

01 / What happened

The Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested two men from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, who police say ran fake health camps to collect villagers' identity data. UNI, the Millennium Post, The Pioneer and ETV Bharat reported the case on 29 and 30 October 2026. The two were arrested in a raid on the night of 20–21 October.

• The bait: free blood pressure and blood sugar checks, and medicines at low prices or free, in villages. To 'register', people were asked for Aadhaar copies, and their biometric details were taken.
• The misuse: police say the details were used to get SIMs and e-SIMs that were supplied to cyber fraud networks: more than 3,000 SIMs in the past year.
• The trade: according to the reports, the accused told police they sold 20 to 30 e-SIMs a day. Police say they paid ₹800 to ₹1,200 for each activated e-SIM and sold it for about ₹2,000.
• The damage found so far: more than 20 complaints on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, involving about ₹2.64 crore, are linked to SIMs from the network.

02 / How police found it

The trail began with a 'digital arrest' complaint. According to the Millennium Post and The Pioneer, the victim was threatened over WhatsApp, including on video calls, for about two weeks, and made six RTGS transfers totalling ₹1.64 crore into six bank accounts. Analysis of the phone numbers used led investigators to the Vrindavan–Mathura area.

Police say the two changed phones often and destroyed old ones to avoid being traced. They are also examining the duo's contacts abroad.

03 / Why it matters

A SIM issued on your identity can be used for fraud calls, to receive OTPs, or to open bank and wallet accounts, and the trail leads back to you. In this case, police say, the people whose details were taken came for a free medical check.

Those most at risk are people in villages who trust a free camp, often older people, and who may never find out that a number was issued in their name.

04 / Confirmed vs. claimed

Reported (UNI, Millennium Post, The Pioneer and ETV Bharat, citing Delhi Police): the arrests, the fake camps, the 3,000-plus SIMs, the prices, the 20-plus complaints and ₹2.64 crore, and the ₹1.64 crore digital arrest case. We could not find a Delhi Police press release, so these are police statements as reported. ETV Bharat describes the 3,000 as e-SIMs; the other reports say SIMs. Claimed (by the accused, according to police): the 20 to 30 e-SIMs a day. Not known: how many villages and people were affected, which telecom operators issued the SIMs, and whether the people whose data was used have been told. The two men are accused, not convicted. We are not naming them because no official release we could check names them.

05 / What to do

• Check the SIMs in your name on Sanchar Saathi's 'Know Mobile Connections in Your Name' and report any you did not take. Our step-by-step guide shows how. Do it for parents and relatives who went to a free camp.
• Lock your Aadhaar biometrics in UIDAI's Aadhaar app or on myAadhaar, and check your Aadhaar authentication history there. How to lock and unlock them.
• Give Aadhaar copies and fingerprints only to authorised, verified institutions, as police advise, and never share an Aadhaar OTP.
• Phone suddenly shows no service? See our SIM-swap and e-SIM guide.
• A caller says a number in your name was used in a crime? That is how digital arrest calls begin; hang up. Lost money? Call 1930 and see our lost-money checklist.