LUCKNOW, Jan. 9 -- The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested an area sales manager of NCR/Chandigarh region of a private telecom company from Delhi for his alleged role in the illegal bulk issuance of SIM cards that were used to facilitate organised cybercrimes, including phishing scams, officials said in a press release on Thursday. The arrest was made under the investigating agency's ongoing Operation Chakra-V aimed at dismantling the technical and logistical backbone of organised cybercrime. Investigators said the case has a significant NCR-Chandigarh connection, where a major phishing network was earlier uncovered. In December 2025, the CBI had busted an organised phishing racket operating from the NCR/Chandigarh region, which was providing bulk SMS services to cyber criminals, including foreign-based actors targeting Indian citizens. During the crackdown, the agency found that nearly 21,000 SIM cards had been procured in violation of department of telecommunications norms and were being used to send phishing messages. Three accused, including a channel partner of the telecom service provider, were arrested earlier and are currently in judicial custody. Subsequent investigation revealed involvement of a senior official of the telecom company. According to the CBI, the area sales manager actively facilitated the fraudulent issuance of SIM cards in bulk by arranging dummy individuals and falsely projecting them as employees of M/s Lord Mahavira Services India Pvt Ltd to complete KYC formalities. Investigators also found that members of a family residing in Bengaluru were among those falsely shown as employees. Copies of their Aadhaar cards were recovered from the possession of the accused official. The SIM cards obtained through these fraudulent means were later used in the NCR-based phishing ecosystem exposed during the probe. CBI officials said phishing is often the first step in cyber fraud, involving mass SMS, calls or messages offering fake loans, investment schemes or issuing threats. Once victims click malicious links or share personal details, they are drawn into larger scams, resulting in financial losses....