ATS busts illegal telephone exchange that caused loss of ₹3 cr to govt, mobile companies

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) conducted raids at two places in Nalasopara and Bhiwandi and arrested one person who with his associates was running an illegal telephone exchange

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) conducted raids at two places in Nalasopara and Bhiwandi and arrested one person who with his associates was running an illegal telephone exchange. The police said the gang has caused a loss of at least ₹3 crore to the government and private mobile service providers by running the illegal exchange.

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The arrested accused is identified as Jaffar Baboousman Patel, 40, from Bhiwandi, who with his associates was operating the unauthorised telephone exchange with the help of an illegal SIM box.

The ATS received information on July 31 about the operation of an unauthorised telephone exchange. The ATS officials then alerted the officials of the telecommunications department and, after verifying the information, a joint team of the ATS officials raided a place in Navin Gauripada in Nalasopara and Roshanbagh in Bhiwandi.

During the raids, the officials seized 9 SIM boxes of Dinstar Company, 246 SIM cards and 8 WiFi routers of various companies, 191 antennas used to operate the SIM boxes and inverters used to keep the SIM boxes functioning round the clock, said an ATS official.

Officials of DOT said that since the unauthorised telephone exchange was being operated for the past one-and-half-year, the DOT and mobile service providers have incurred a loss of at least ₹3 crore.

A case was registered under Section 318(4), 3(5) of the Indian Judicial Code with Section 4 of the Indian Telegraph Act 1885, with Section 42 of the Telecommunication Act 2023 and Section 3 and 6 of the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933 on Thursday against the accused, Patel, in Thane ATS.