Three more held in illegal telephone exchange case in Bhiwandi

The Thane unit of ATS had busted an illegal telephone exchange that had installed equipment that allowed unauthorized domestic and international calls through Voice Over Internet Protocol on February 15.

Bhiwandi

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The State Anti-Terrorism Squad and Bhiwandi police have arrested three more people in connection with an illegal telephone exchange which was busted by the Thane unit of ATS in Bhiwandi last week, taking the total number of arrests to four.

The accused have been identified as Kaleem, Pankaj, and Bhanukumar, who are residents of Bhiwandi and Mumbai respectively. Kaleem operated an illegal telephone exchange in Bhiwandi, while two others were employees of the concerned call service provider company and sold sim cards to them to operate unauthorized domestic and international calls through Voice Over Internet Protocol. The trio was produced in court and remanded the police custody till Friday.

Suresh Ghuge, police sub inspector in Bhoiwada police station in Bhiwandi said, “We recovered six sim boxes, six routers, and one mobile phone from their possession, and further investigations are on”.

Based on specific information, the Thane unit of ATS had carried out a raid on Mateen Shaikh chawl in the Nalapar area of Subhash Nagar in Bhiwandi on February 15. The team arrested the operator identified as Tabrez Sohrab Momin, 34, a resident of Kariwali village in Bhiwandi.

ATS sources said Tabrez had installed equipment that allowed unauthorized domestic and international calls through Voice Over Internet Protocol. A case under the Section 420 of IPC, 4, 20, and 25 of the Indian Telegraph Act and Sections 3 and 6 of the Indian Wireless Machinery Act was registered at Bhoiwada police station in Bhiwandi on February 16.

Ghuge further said that during Tabrez’s interrogation, he revealed the names of his associates who were nabbed in different places on February 16.