In a first in the national Capital, Delhi Police crime branch has registered an FIR against unknown persons for operating illegal telephone exchanges in Delhi and the National Capital territory. The case was registered after a team from Inter State Cell of Crime Branch team raided two premises in Okhla where a firm was operating and found six boxes/ GSM gateways installed through which the illegal telephone exchange was being operated.
The case has been registered under sections 4, 20, 20A and 21 of the Indian Telegraph Act, sections 3, 6 of the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act and sections 420(cheating) and 120B (Criminal Conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
A senior police official, on conditions of anonymity, said that since the last few days credible information was received that several people are engaged in running illegal trade phone exchanges in Delhi which is causing huge loss to the Government exchequer.
“These illegal telephone exchanges are being established by using sim boxes, lease lines, mobile phone connections procured on the basis of fake ID’s and other telecommunication devices,’ said the police official adding. It came to the notice that Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) calls are generated from abroad and they land in these telephone exchanges through lease lines and by using the sim boxes and other illegal devices used for telecommunication devices.”
The official further added that the VOIP calls are converted into Global system for mobile Communication (GSM) calls. “The receiver of these converted calls GSM calls in India gets reflected as a GSM connection number on his mobile phone screen instead of International number or VOIP call indication. This means the Indian legal gateways are being bypassed by these fraudsters thereby causing huge revenue to the Government,” said the official.
No surveillance is possible on the illegal telephone exchanges by Indian Security Agencies and an enemy State can take advantage of this, added the official.
After receiving the secret information from a source, a team raided the premises in Okhla Industrial Area and found that a firm Applelect learning systems was operating there and the team interrogated two employees who were present identified as Pawan Chouhan and Ashok Kamrajini but both told police that they were unaware
about the illegal telephone exchange.
On further search three sim boxes/ GSM gateways along with eight antennas each were found installed in each premise and were uninstalled and sealed by police.