'Deceptive Messages, Fraud Links Threaten Digital Safety': Delhi High Court Denies Pre-Arrest Bail In Bulk SIM Fraud Case

The Delhi High Court has refused to grant anticipatory bail to two directors of a private company accused of fraudulently procuring and misusing bulk mobile SIM connections for activities linked to cybercrime.Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma observed that offences involving circulation of deceptive messages and fraudulent links pose a serious threat to public trust and digital safety.The bench thus dismissed the pre-arrest bail applications in a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) relating to alleged large-scale violations of telecom and KYC norms.“The aforesaid irregularities – in the procurement of SIM cards and fabrication of end-user details – will have to be examined in the light of what has emerged during investigation with regard to their subsequent use in cyber-crime activities,” it said.According to the prosecution, Petitioners had obtained thousands of bulk SIM cards from a telecom service provider by furnishing fabricated end-user details, in violation of Department of Telecommunications (DoT) guidelines. These SIMs were allegedly diverted for misuse in cybercrime activities, including circulation of deceptive SMS messages and shortened links promising financial inducements such as loans or credit facilities.Rejecting the defence that the SIMs were “SMS-only” and used merely for legitimate promotional messaging, the Court noted that statements of multiple end users prima facie established fabrication of end-user lists and abuse of the KYC process. It also took note of technical evidence indicating bulk SMS transmission through multiple IMEIs, indicating deliberate circumvention of lawful telecom channels.“offences involving circulation of deceptive messages and links for financial inducements and online frauds are on the rise and pose a serious threat to public trust and digital safety. In such matters, where fraudulent procurement of SIM cards is alleged to have facilitated cyber-crime and financial loss to victims, the discretion of anticipatory bail must be exercised with due circumspection,” the Court said.It further emphasized that the investigation was at a nascent stage and custodial interrogation of the Petitioners was necessary.As such, both anticipatory bail applications were dismissed.Appearance: Mr. Pradeep Kumar Arya, Mr. Gaurav Bhardwaj, Mr. Sachin Bajpai, Mr. Raj Karan Sharma, Mr. Aditya Kumar Yadav, Mr. Gaurav Chaudhry, Mr. Vaibhav Chaudhry, Mr. Anubhav Rathi, Ms. Arunima Singh and Ms. Akshika Chaudhary, Advocates for Petitioners; Mr. Ripudaman Bhardwaj, SPP with Mr. Kushagra Kumar and Mr. Amit Kumar Rana, Advocates for RespondentCase title: Amardeep Sharma v. CBICitation: 2026 LiveLaw (Del) 150Case no.: BAIL APPLN. 164/2026Click here to read order

'Deceptive Messages, Fraud Links Threaten Digital Safety': Delhi High Court Denies Pre-Arrest Bail In Bulk SIM Fraud Case

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