-> T.S.VENKATESAN
Following tip off from Intelligence Bureau, Theni city police has arrested two youths from Kerala who were using BSNL airwaves illegally in Theni district to talk to foreign countries. They have seized Chinese-made machines worth one crore rupees from them. An international level conspiracy in this is being viewed by police. Police plans to investigate whether they earned money through these foreign calls or helped illegal organizations including terrorists.
It is learnt that junior telecommunication officer working in BSNL office in Theni, Muniyandi filed a complaint at the Theni Nagar Police Station. In the complaint, he alleged that some people were using the BSNL spectrum illegally to call abroad. Based on the complaint,police registered a case and started investigation.
In this case, 40-year-old Sajeer and 27-year-old Mohammad Asif from Malappuram district of Kerala were arrested. Sources said that both of them came to Theni district and rented houses in Allinagaram and Andipatti areas for the past few months. They have stolen BSNL airwaves and talked to foreign countries through their illegally owned Chinese made machines. These machines are capable of converting normal internet calls into normal calls through BSNL phones. Police recovered 36 Chinese-made machines worth one crore rupees from them. It has been found that one machine can run 150 SIM cards and more than 300 calls are made abroad through one SIM card in one machine daily. It has been revealed that the machine also has a facility to trace the origin of the calls made through these machines. They have run this fake exchange behind a private scan center in a housing colony at Theni-Periyakulam road. People alerted the Intelligence sleuths about the movement of suspicious persons in the area. The sleuths kept monitoring the area for some time and found the functioning of fake BSNL exchange with latest technology and equipment. They shared the information with BSNL top brasses and asked them to initiate action. There was abnormal traffic from this area also alerted the officials from the normal 3000 to 6000 ISD call signals. This has resulted in huge income loss to BSNL which is already in red.
Based on the complaint from Muniyandi, police inspector Maya Rajalakshmi started the investigation and when they entered the house it was locked. They broke open house and found the fake exchange. They shocked to see a large number sim cards, modern equipment, antenna, wife router card spot etc.Theni district SP Praveen UmeshTongra formed a special teams to arrest the people who run the exchange. The team arrested two Muslim youths from Manjeri in Malapuram district in neighbouring Kerala. On interrogation, they said similar exchanges were being run in two more houses one in Theni and another in Pappammalpura near Antipatti. Police team went to this two places and found modern equipment that are capable to steal signals from the towers of private cellphone service providers and BSNL. They have seized more than thousand sim cards from these two locations. They have searched five houses in this connection.
It has been revealed in the preliminary investigation that he has been talking to various countries for the last three months through this connection. The two arrested were produced in court and lodged in Theni jail. The police are planning to take the two arrested into judicial custody and conduct further investigation.
The probe should cover why did BSNL make so many calls to foreign countries illegally using spectrum? Who did they talk to? Did they make a loss to BSNL by collecting money from the callers through overseas calls? Or are the two caught by the police for engaging in terrorist activities? Help someone involved in terrorist activities? Or to engage in anti-social activities in association with illegal organizations?, and in all angles. Central Intelligence Bureau, central special investigation branch officials, state Q branch police interrogated the arrested two youths. Theni Judicial magistrate has remanded them 14 days judicial custody.
The arrested two Muslims are a school drop outs and not even completed tenth standard. It is intriguing how they could handle such modern equipment with ease. It is suspected that trained well qualified naxals, fundamentalist forces could be behind the fake telephone exchanges.
Ethirajan Srinivasan @Ethirajans tweeted “Theni BSNL spectrum stealing, 1 Cr worth “Made in China” devices used by Sajid and Mohammed Asif to make ISD calls seized!Terror angle being probed”. Another tweeter Rajagopal wants” TN has to be thoroughly checked up. TN Govts after govts go soft on Mullas to get their votes since JJ ruling. A danger situation is created behind d scene.”