Pune: The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has recovered 77 SIM cards discarded near a bridge in Kondhwa, Pune. The recovery is part of a broader investigation into an illegal telephone exchange operation that was transferring international calls to local numbers within India.
The investigation has revealed that Praveen Gopal Shrivastav supplied the accused with a total of 6,800 SIM cards, raising concerns about the extent and scale of the operation.
Authorities are currently probing the source of these SIM cards, as preliminary findings show that 62 of them were registered in Uttar Pradesh.
The ATS informed the court that to unravel the entire network, they need to take the accused to Uttar Pradesh for further investigation. The suspects in the case, including Naushad Ahmed Siddiqui alias Kumar, Mohammed Uzair Shaukat Ali Ansari alias Sonu, and Piyush Subhashrao Gajbhiye, were produced in court on Tuesday as their police custody was set to expire.
Additionally, two other suspects, Abdul Qasim Siddiqui alias Rehan and Praveen Gopal Shrivastav, were arrested on Monday and have been remanded to police custody until September 13.
Rehan is reported to have trained Naushad, Piyush, and Sonu on how to operate the illegal telephone exchange center. Initially running the center in Bhiwandi, they later expanded operations to Kondhwa.
The ATS investigation has also uncovered that Rehan facilitated financial transactions to the accused via bank accounts and cryptocurrency. During a raid at a property in Kondhwa, authorities found 3,788 SIM cards linked to the operation.
Authorities suspect that this illegal network might have a nationwide presence, as the accused were found to be profiting from unauthorized use of WhatsApp accounts and OTPs.
Given the potential scale, the ATS is determined to identify the mastermind behind the operation. On the prosecution’s request, represented by Public Prosecutor Bodhini Shashikar, the court extended the police custody of the previously arrested suspects until September 13 to further investigate the scope and reach of the network.