The crime branch (unit I) attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police busted an illegal international telephone exchange set-up that was operating from an apartment in Mira Road.
Acting on a tip-off received from the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) in Gujarat, the crime branch unit led by Police Inspector Aviraj Kurhade under the supervision of DCP (Crime), Dr Mahesh Patil raided a flat in N.G.Plaza building located in the Pooja Nagar area of Mira Road and apprehended one suspect identified as Sajjad Sayyed for operating the illegal telephone exchang. through Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP).
The accused apparently converted international calls into domestic ones after bypassing the legal gateways of telecommunication networks like the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).
The illegal network not only led to huge revenue losses to the government exchequer but also heightened a security threat as the calls dodged scrutiny from legal gateways.
Apart from other computer accessories, the crime branch team recovered three sim boxes (32 slots each), 125 sim cards, antenna, router, mini laptop, LAN-port switch and cables from the apartment. The value of the seized accessories is pegged at Rs. 3.42 lakhs.
Notably, the Gujarat ATS had busted a similar racket in the Juhapura area of Ahmedabad city on Wednesday which led to the action in Mira Road a day later.
Meanwhile, a case under the sections of the Indian Penal Code for cheating and relevant provisions of the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 and the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933 has been registered against the accused at the Naya Nagar police station. The accused has been remanded to police custody till October 31, after he was produced before the court on Thursday. Further investigations were underway.
