#SIM card fraud

Rajasthan High Court rules that issuance of a few SIM cards without evidence of proceeds of crime, coupled with clean antecedents, warrants bail under BNSS Section 483. The judgment distinguishes between technical involvement and substantive criminal liability, setting a precedent for bail in cyber fraud cases with peripheral participation.

The Chhattisgarh High Court granted regular bail to a SIM distributor accused of issuing 48 fake SIMs, holding that mere distribution under authorized POS systems, with compliance of digital KYC and no recovery of fraudulent devices, does not establish direct fraudulent intent under Section 318(4) BNS. This clarifies the boundary between administrative facilitation and criminal culpability in telecom fraud cases, protecting distributors from overbroad prosecution.