Teen among 18 under probe for registering SIM cards for criminals
Carmen Sin for The Straits Times
A 17-year-old was the youngest person nabbed in a week-long police operation that saw 13 suspects arrested for allegedly providing SIM cards to criminals for cash or credit.
Criminal syndicates use these cards to communicate incognito for illegal activities like scams, unlicensed moneylending and vice, said the police on Feb 24.
Between Feb 18 and 24, 11 men and two women were arrested in a crackdown on subscribers who fraudulently register post-paid SIM cards for scams.
The oldest among them was 33.
Another two men and three women, between 20 and 30 years old, are assisting with investigations.
Preliminary investigations found that the 13 suspects arrested appear to have taken up offers for cash or online gambling credits in exchange for handing over SIM cards to criminals.
They allegedly handed over between 10 and 30 SIM cards each.
Under new laws that came into effect on Jan 1, 2025, they may be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to three years, or both, if found guilty.
For more information on misuse of SIM cards, go to police.gov.sg/Advisories/Crime/Misuse-of-SIM-Card-Offences
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