Andhra Pradesh: AI-powered solution exposes 658 SIM cards issued on a single photograph

The use of artificial intelligence played a pivotal role in uncovering the scam in which 658 SIM cards were issued using a single photograph.

Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh): As many as 658 SIM cards were issued using a single photograph in the Gunadala area of Vijayawada of Andhra Pradesh, Suryaraopeta police said on Tuesday.

Police Commissioner Kantirana said, "The Department of Telecommunications (DOT) has lodged a complaint in which they mentioned that 658 SIM cards were issued on a single photograph. The Suryaraopeta police were instructed to have a thorough investigation. The police nabbed a young resident of Satyanarayanapuram in Vijayawada, Polukonda Naveen, in connection with the case. The accused is being interrogated".

Kantirana also informed that an additional 150 SIM cards were found, which were issued through falsified documents within the jurisdictions of Ajitsinghnagar and Vissannapet police stations.

According to the police, DOT deployed an AI-based toolkit - ASTR (Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition Powered Solution for Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification), to combat SIM card fraud. This software employs facial recognition to detect fraudulent SIM card registrations and subsequently blocks the associated phone numbers. ASTR works across multiple telecom operators, scrutinizing images of SIM card holders to identify anomalies.

The police and DOT are working jointly on crushing the potential misuse of SIM cards issued with counterfeit documents, police said. Authorities fear that such cards could easily fall into the hands of malicious entities, precipitating unforeseen consequences.