Meerut (UP), Mar 21 (PTI) Meerut Police has busted an illegal international telephone exchange operating from a house, which was allegedly being used to convert international VoIP calls into local voice calls, causing significant revenue losses to the Indian government, officials said Friday.
Four men have been arrested, while three others are absconding. Over 200 SIM cards, SIM boxes, and other communication equipment were allegedly recovered from, police said.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Rakesh Kumar Mishra said the illegal exchange, running from the upper floor of Junaid’s house in Lakhipura, was exposed during a raid led by Lisadi Gate SHO Subhash Chandra Gautam and SWAT team in-charge Arun Kumar Mishra. The arrested individuals have been identified as Junaid, his brother Shakib, Aris, and Asif, while efforts are underway to apprehend the absconding accused Shahrukh, Zeeshan, and Haji Irfan.
According to police, the accused had been illegally converting international VoIP calls into regular voice calls, making it difficult to trace caller identities and resulting in financial losses to the exchequer. The gang allegedly earned Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 daily through this operation.
Investigations revealed that Junaid and Zeeshan allegedly hatched the plan and secured an investment of Rs four lakh from Haji Irfan, who was promised 60 per cent of the profits. They then roped in Asif, who set up the exchange for Rs 3.45 lakh with the help of Shahrukh, who provided SIM cards, SIM boxes, and technical expertise, the officer said.
The exchange was initially tested at Rizwan’s house in Dehradun before being shifted to Meerut in November 2024, he said.
A case has been registered against the accused at Lisadi Gate police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Indian Telegraph Act, and the IT Act.
Police said the operation posed a serious national security threat, as it masked caller identities and made it difficult to track suspicious communications. PTI COR KIS MNK MNK
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