Over 200 SIM cards, SIM boxes, and other communication equipment were allegedly recovered from the accused, police said. The gang earned Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 daily through this operation
According to the 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. Representational pic
Meerut Police have busted an illegal international telephone exchange operating from a house, which was allegedly being used to convert international VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls into local voice calls, causing significant revenue losses to the Indian Government, officials said on Friday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Four men have been arrested, while three others are absconding. Over 200 SIM cards, SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) boxes, and other communication equipment were allegedly recovered from the accused, 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 (Station House Officer) Subhash Chandra Gautam and SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) team in-charge Arun Kumar Mishra. Apart from Junaid, his brother Shakib, as well as two other accused, Aris and Asif, have been arrested, while efforts are underway to apprehend the absconding accused, identified as Shahrukh, Zeeshan, and Haji Irfan.
According to the 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 4 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 official 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 (Information Technology) Act.
The police said the operation posed a serious national security threat, as it masked caller identities and made it difficult to track suspicious communications.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
