NOIDA: Two years after six unauthorised internet service providers were busted in Uttar Pradesh as part of a SIM box fraud across NCR, the crime branch of Mumbai police raided a telecom exchange in Noida.

The search was conducted last Thursday after links were found between the Noida telecom exchange and the one in Kerala , from where international calls were being made using VoIP (voice over internet protocol) technology. The VoIP exchanges were being used by callers suspected to be linked to Pakistani spy agency ISI to gather information about important defence installations, PTI reports.

While one person was arrested from Kerala’s Changaramkulam, equipment such as SIM boxes with multiple SIM cards, hard disc, VoIP adapter and some documents were seized from the office in Noida Sector 3.

SIM boxes are used to route VoIP calls made from a foreign location but the number that flashes on the receiver’s phone is Indian. According to officials, the alleged fraud came to light in January, when they received information that a landline number based in Mumbai had received an internet call from Saudi Arabia . However, this call had evaded the local telecom operator and was passed off as an Indian number.

According to defence sources, defence personnel in September last year had received calls seeking information related to important defence installations, PTI reports. The involvement of ISI was suspected, sources said, adding that investigation revealed illegal VoIP exchanges in Noida and Kerala which routed incoming calls from Pakistan to local numbers.

The Mumbai crime branch found as many as 20 IMEI numbers of various service providers were being used from a single device.

