LUCKNOW, Jan. 10 -- Officials of several private telecom firms operating in Mathura and other districts of western UP have come under the scanner following the arrest of an area sales manager of a private telecom company from Delhi by the CBI on Thursday. The sales manager was arrested for his alleged role in the illegal bulk issuance of SIM cards that were later used in large-scale phishing and cyber fraud operations, confirmed CBI officials. The sales manager in question, who oversaw operations in the NCR belt, including Chandigarh and Delhi's adjoining regions, is accused of facilitating the illegal activation of nearly 21,000 SIM cards in violation of the department of telecommunications (DoT) norms. Investigators said several of these illegally issued SIM cards were traced to cybercrime networks operating in Mathura, Agra, Aligarh, Meerut and other west UP districts, prompting the agency to widen its probe to examine the role of telecom distribution officials and channel partners in the region. According to the CBI officials, the SIM cards were activated using fraudulent Know Your Customer (KYC) processes, allegedly involving dummy individuals and forged documentation. These SIMs were subsequently used by organised cybercrime syndicates to send phishing messages, execute fraudulent calls and run online scams targeting victims across the country. The case has strong links to Mathura, which has emerged as a key hub in multiple cybercrime investigations over the past year. htc...