Bengaluru: Seventy one telecom services stores in Bengaluru are facing accusations of selling data and sim cards to cybercrooks, who fleece money from gullible people, as per a complaint from the director of compliance for Karnataka Licensed Service Area (LSA), department of telecom (DoT).Madhu Das, director, DoT, recently lodged the complaint with Bengaluru police, providing names of the 71 stores — points of sale (PoS) — suspected of violating telecommunications regulations. The complaint alleges these establishments stole subscriber information and distributed it to cyber fraudsters, committing a criminal breach of trust.As per DoT’s analysis of mobile numbers reported by organisation partners, approximately 289 stores across Karnataka, including 71 in Bengaluru, have been identified to have sold more than 25 sim cards each and are suspected of involvement in cyber fraud.According to sources, telecom service providers (TSPs) were expected to file the complaint themselves, but failed to do so, prompting the DoT to take action. The DoT head office has instructed all states to file police complaints to investigate PoS that sold sim cards to cybercriminals.Sources clarified the 71 shops are currently only suspects, and police investigation will determine actual involvement in fraudulent activities. The complaint was submitted via email to the police commissioner, who directed CCB to conduct a preliminary investigation. Police inspector Santosh Ram R has been assigned to lead the investigation.Initial findings suggest 71 stores violated provisions of their sale licences issued by DoT. Investigators used information from Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP), developed by DoT, to identify sim cards used in cybercrimes. The DIP serves as a secure platform for real-time intelligence sharing and coordination among stakeholders including TSPs, law enforcement agencies, banks, financial institutions, and social media platforms.The portal also contains information related to misuse of telecom resources that may be valuable to central security agencies, state police, banks, TSPs, Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), and more than 520 other establishments, according to the complaint.The directorate general of GST Intelligence, CBI, and WhatsApp have contributed significantly to combating such crimes. A senior police officer said raids on the suspected shops are yet to be conducted. “Investigation is at a very initial stage. We need a few weeks to make some progress,” the officer said.