Maharashtra: Police busts four illegal telephone exchanges in Thane
Four illegal telephone exchanges being operated from different apartments have been busted in Thane, Maharashtra and four people were arrested in this connection yesterday, a police official said today. The accused were illegally routing international calls through Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP), she said. The police also seized several SIM cards of different companies, routers, and laptops from the flats, she said.
Police seized electrical equipment worth Rs. 14 lakh
Acting on a tip-off, a police team raided four apartments at a building in Mumbra area yesterday and seized electrical equipment worth Rs. 14 lakh, Thane Police spokesperson, Sukhada Narkar, said. International calls were being illegally routed via VoIP through local mobile numbers at these exchanges. Such a set up of interconnecting Internet/VoIP and mobile connections is not permitted as per Indian telecom laws.
Loss to the national exchequer was being ascertained
The police said that the preliminary loss to the national exchequer was being ascertained. The arrested persons were identified as Sehzad Nissar Shaikh (38), Shakil Iqlaq Ahmed Shaikh (40), Mohammad Halim Mukhtar Ahmed Khan (36) and Wasimullah Iqlaq Ahmed Shaikh (30). They have been booked under IPC Section 420 (cheating), and relevant provisions of the Indian Telegraph Act and the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act.
