Without waiting for approval from the police or the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is blocking local and international phone lines that fraudsters and anti-national elements are using to commit cybercrimes and issue threats.

These calls result in complaints, which is why the numbers are restricted.

Among the prominent names on the blocked caller list is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a designated terrorist who has been threatening to attack Air India, the BSE, and the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

To obtain information on these callers, the DoT is also monitoring foreign gateways. Additionally, carriers have been instructed to report any calls regarding suspicious calls received by their customer care centers to the relevant agency.

Financial fraud done by callers from international numbers has increased recently. Without any paperwork, they have been employing a variety of apps that provide international numbers with an eSIM.

Airalo and Holafly are two eSIM apps that the DoT ordered Google, Apple, telecom companies, and internet service providers to prohibit last week.

The government has been working harder to uncover financial scams committed online. Bulk connection provision has been discontinued and SIM card dealers' authentication has been made essential as part of these measures.

Additionally, franchisees, distributors, and point of sale (PoS) agents must register with telecom operators. This aids in the removal of rogue organizations that, as part of fraudulent activities, issue SIM cards to anti-social and anti-national individuals.

However, non-Indian suppliers still charge for eSIMs and don't perform any verification.

After confirming information with telecom providers, the government has begun barring rogue numbers as a solution to the problem.