With investigations revealing that Maoist leader Jitendra Oraon had procured several SIM cards using fake address proofs, several mobile stores in the Ernakulam rural region have now come under the police scanner.
While working at Angamaly since 2012, Oraon had purchased around eight SIM cards, most of which were taken to Jharkhand for operations of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), a banned outfit. Investigations also revealed that he had lived in disguise as a tea factory worker in Wayanad in 2007 and procured 40 SIM cards out of which 32 were used for coordinating activities of his organisation.
Migrant labourers running stores
The police found that several among the 100-odd mobile stores in and around Perumbavur are run by migrant labourers. These stores sold SIM cards at low prices and without demanding identity proof.
“Two methods are used to gain the cards – by giving false addresses and by presenting fake documents in the name of people who have died. The verifications agents too are under scanner,” said a top official with the Ernakulam rural police.
