15 SIM boxes, 1700 SIM cards seized; Man from Kerala on search

CHENNAI: City cybercrime police arrested a 35-year-old man from Kerala for allegedly illegally running a telephone exchange to make ISD calls as local calls.

The arrested was identified as Basheer, who was staying in ICE House in the city.

Police seized as many as 1700 SIM cards and 15 SIM boxes from the suspect.

"Initially SIM cards and 9 SIM boxes were seized. After extracting information from him, raids were carried out on premises in Royapettah and CIT Nagar and further six SIM boxes and more SIM cards were seized. Totally 15 SIM boxes containing modem equipment and over 1700 SIM cards were seized, " a Chennai cybercrime press release said.

Initial enquiry by the police revealed that Basheer started doing the 'call business' after coming in contact with one Abdul Rahman of Saudi Arabia.

Using the equipment he was allegedly helping his customers to make international calls as local calls and he was financially getting benefited by it.

It may be noted that the city police last year had arrested one Jagir Hussian, a native of Tripura, from Aminjikarai.

Based on his confession police had then arrested one Salman Sherif from Vellore.