CBI busts big ISD calls racket

CBI busts big ISD calls racket
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

MUMBAI, JULY 18: Officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seized state-of-the-art satellite communication equipment worth crores of rupees after raiding six information service centres in the city this morning.

The defaulters are believed to be cheating the government to the tune of few hundred crore by using the equipment for making illegal international subscribers dialing (ISD) calls to the US. The operation is in violation of the Indian Telegraphic Act.

The CBI officers raided high-tech service centres at Sai Krupa and Ambika Palace on Gorai Link Road and seized more than 20 computers and other electronic gadgets. The operator had been misusing about 90 to 100 MTNL telephone lines to make illegal international telephone calls.

Similar raids were carried out at Chembur, Malad and Jogeshwari. The total value of the seizure is being ascertained.

The information service centres were open round the clock and tens of thousands of calls were made to and from USA and the Gulf. The average number of calls on a day was calculated on the basis of computer printouts which were seized during the raids.

Sources pointed out that the satellite facilities are more advanced than the International Private Leased Connections (IPLC) earlier used for making ISD calls on commercial basis.

VSNL gives IPCL lines at nominal rates, mainly to software developing companies, for encouraging exports of software by extending them point-to-point transmission of data to and from the country.

Officials disclosed that the data circuits were attached to a modem, which in turn allowed the user to avail direct dial tones in the country. Internet connections were also misused to cheat VSNL by installing convertors for changing the 64 KB data circuits into voice circuits. The convertors are imported from United States and cost a few lakh rupees.