Illegal Call Conversion Racket Busted In Bengaluru, Rs 40 Lakh Items Found

A racket where international phone calls were being illegally routed as local calls to commit cybercrimes was busted in Bengaluru, with the police seizing equipment worth Rs 40 lakh.

A Vodafone Limited registration officer filed a complaint with the cybercrime police station on November 28, alleging that SIM boxes were used on the fourth floor of the Devaraj building in Bengaluru's Electronic City to illegally convert international calls into local calls, thereby committing cybercrimes, jeopardising national security, and causing financial loss to the government and the telecom company.

Based on the complaint, the cybercrime police conducted a search at the location where they found 28 SIM boxes, 1,193 SIM cards of various companies, one laptop, three routers, one MI portable CC camera, and other documents. The total value of the seized items was around Rs 40 lakh.

The investigation revealed that the seized SIM cards and SIM boxes were likely used for many cybercrimes.

Investigation revealed that the accused are from Kerala and are currently on the run in Dubai.

Police have instructed officials to properly inspect the infrastructure in the city to determine whether any illegal SIM boxes are installed.

The operation has helped in curbing illegal telecom exchanges, safeguarding national security and upholding the commitment of the authorities to protect the financial interests of the government and telecom companies, officials said.