Sharjah: Sharjah Police have arrested a man for illegally selling cheap telephone calls, made through the internet, and hiding the equipment inside a fridge.

Police had received a tip-off that a Pakistani man had transformed his house in the Al Naba’a area of Sharjah into an illegal call centre by breaking into telephone systems.

Officers located the house, that was operating without a licence, with help from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.

The house was raided and the suspect was arrested on Tuesday.

Equipment used to operate the illegal call centre was found hidden inside a refrigerator. The equipment was then confiscated.

The suspect, who has been identified as K.G.S, admitted making illegal phone calls through programmes connected to a server used for this purpose, and that he sold international calls at low rates.

He told police that he kept his equipment inside the fridge and made holes at the back of the kitchen appliance for cables, in case police raided the place.

The man told them he thought they would not find the equipment because no one would expect to find a call centre hidden inside a refrigerator.

Sharjah Police have warned the public, as well as owners of internet cafes, not to violate the rules of the Telecommunications Regulatory Act.

They also warned the public that they will be held responsible if they are caught making illegal phone calls.