Virtual SIMs used in Pulwama terror attack; India to approach U.S. for help

Virtual SIMs used in Pulwama terror attack; India to approach U.S. for help

1. Indian government has decided to send a request to the United States to seek details from a service provider of virtual SIMs. These virtual SIMs were used by the Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber behind the Pulwama attack to communicate with his Pakistan based handlers.
2. In virtual SIM connection, one doesn’t need a local registered SIM card to get an active mobile connection. The mobile number is computer generated and depending on the service provider the number can be of UK,US or any other country’s phone number.
3. The user needs to download the mobile app of the service provider to make calls via the virtual number. The virtual number is linked to social networking sites like WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram or Twitter. The  verification code generated by these networking sites is received on the smartphone to activate the connection.
4. Virtual SIMs can allow people to make or receive calls on local phone numbers from as many as over 50 countries.Most virtual SIM providers place no limit on the number of virtual phone numbers one can have.
5. Government officials has said that the numbers used by the Pulwama bomber were pre-fixed with “+1”,the code used for the United States.Security agencies would track as to who paid the virtual SIM provider and who activated it. The IP addresses generated through the virtual SIMs would help in further investigation.