HYDERABAD/ KARACHI:
The Crime Investigation Cell officials claim to have busted an illegal international gateway exchange operating in a bungalow in a posh locality of Hyderabad. Three suspects, Fahad Rind, Jehangir Larik, Sarwesh Ali Memon, were arrested and the equipment was seized from the site, according to City SP Umer Tufail.
An international gateway exchange is a switch that forms a channel between a local telephone network and other international gateway exchanges, enabling cross-border connectivity. Although they have various legitimate uses, such exchanges are frequently used by scammers and con artists, for example, to make it appear as if the call is originating from the same network, when in reality, it is originating from another country.
The raid was conducted, on the tip-off from an intelligence agency, in Citizen Colony, located in the limits of Bhitai Nagar police station. At least six communication devices, small antennas, desktop computers, four laptops, 11 mobile phones, four tablet PCs and more than 1,000 SIMs of different local and international mobile networks were seized.
"The suspects had been running the exchange since the last eight months," the CIC incharge, inspector Muneer Abbassi, told The Express Tribune. "They will also be investigated for allegedly facilitating terrorists."
The suspects revealed during initial investigation that they managed calls mostly from Nepal, Saudi Arabia and the UK. "The suspects claimed they earned between Rs500,000 to Rs600,000 per month," said Abbasi.
The devices used to operate the grey traffic can be easily purchased online from the manufacturers in China. Police explained that the suspects had procured these devices through the route of Dubai. The suspects had made an initial investment of around Rs1.8 million while they estimated the total cost of their gateway to be about Rs2.5 million.
The CIC handed over the suspects, along with the seized equipment, to the Cyber Crime Cell of the FIA. The inspector added that the Cyber Crime team, led by inspector Rasheed Bhatti, also inspected the place from where the gateway was being operated.
The Cybercrime Cell has registered an FIR No. 70/14, under Section 36/37 of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance (ETO) and 109/34 and 420 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). An FIA official said that the suspects will be produced before a court on Thursday for initial remand. The official added that investigators have not found any evidence to link the suspects to terrorists. "The investigation is still in the preliminary stages," he said. "We will try to ascertain whether these suspects were directly or indirectly associated with terrorists."
Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2014.
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