Bhubaneswar, Aug 21: In response to a request from the Odisha Police, a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrived in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday to investigate the SIM box racket recently uncovered by the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police.

The NIA officials are expected to interrogate the key accused, Raju Mandal, who is being brought back to Bhubaneswar from Ranchi by a special squad of the Commissionerate Police.

The Commissionerate Police sought the NIA's assistance after a preliminary investigation suggested that the racket might be operated by a Bangladeshi national, Asadur Jaman.

The NIA will investigate whether Asadur is the mastermind behind the racket or if he served as a handler providing logistics, funds, and technical support to Mandal.

Mandal’s 5-day police remand is set to expire on Thursday, and the Commissionerate Police plan to request an extension from the court.

So far, the police have conducted raids in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Ranchi, recovering 17 SIM boxes and around 1,000 SIM cards.

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