VoIP Exchange: VoIP exchange has once again come into limelight amid increasing cyber crimes in the country. The investigation of an alleged illegal phone exchange running from Narayanpur village of Bhojpur district of Bihar is now directly in the hands of CBI. According to initial information from media reports, this system was being used to convert internet calls into local mobile calls so that cyber fraud and suspicious activities could be carried out on a large scale.
The whole game was going on from Narayanpur
This case was initiated by the Digital Intelligence Unit of Bihar Police. During investigation, a high-tech SIM box setup was revealed which was active in Narayanpur village. Several SIM cards are installed in the SIM box with the help of which calls and messages coming from abroad are forwarded through the local number.
This type of technique is often used to avoid international call charges or to make fraudulent calls appear local. Investigation revealed that more than 20 thousand calls were routed across the country through this one setup. Security agencies suspect that similar systems are also used by foreign terrorist networks to contact their sleeper cells.
After all, what is VoIP exchange?
A VoIP exchange essentially works like a digital telephone exchange, except that it handles calls over the Internet. This system works to route calls between different networks and users to the right destination.
When used illegally, VoIP calls coming from the Internet are converted into a format compatible with mobile networks. For this, an active SIM card is required through which the call is placed on the local mobile network. The result is that both the telecom company and the person receiving the call think that it is a normal local call, whereas in reality its source is abroad.
wrong advantage of open system
Telecom technology around the world is based on interoperability and standards, so that different networks can connect with each other. This openness gives some cunning people the opportunity to make such illegal hardware which is technically correct but legally wrong.
Malda connection and mastermind
Investigation also revealed that the SIM cards being used in this SIM box of Narayanpur were activated from Malda district of West Bengal. These SIMs were issued through two PoS operators Rezaul Haq and Muktadir Hussain.
CBI has registered an FIR against Mukesh Kumar, the alleged mastermind of this entire network, who was running this illegal exchange from the attic of his house in Bhojpur. Apart from this, names of both PoS operators have also been included in the case for providing 67 suspicious SIM cards.
Why did CBI take over the investigation?
This illegal operation was exposed by Bihar Police in July 2023. Considering the seriousness of the matter and aspects related to national security, the state government demanded an investigation from the Centre. After this, on the notification of the Central Government, CBI re-registered the FIR of Bihar Police and took over the investigation.
Interestingly, it is also recorded in the FIR that Telangana Police had already considered Narayanpur as the center of suspicious activities, which makes it clear that this setup running in a small village was linked to the cyber crime spread across the country.
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