Abdul Gafoor and Krishnaprasad, who are in police custody in connection with the parallel telephone exchange case, have revealed that money came to various accounts of the prime accused P.P. Shabeer via Dubai.
During the interrogation by Crime Branch officials on Saturday, they said that the money was deposited into accounts in Dubai from various countries. It was then brought to India as ‘hawala’ money and deposited in various accounts through the agents of the mafia. Shabeer and his companion Niyas Kuttasseri received ₹46 crore in their accounts since 2017, which they invested in various sectors.
The investigation had brought out a parallel telecom network that enables the mafia to communicate without the source being tracked. This could facilitate illegal money transactions and even affect national security, a press release said.
They had penetrated the nation’s telecom network to construct a parallel communication corridor that was against the international understanding between nations. This network has also been used as a front for illegal money transactions.
The investigation revealed that several calls from China were illegally routed to India, and that the network was used for threatening calls and sexual atrocities. Conversations with sexual undertones were directed towards children and every tracking attempt on such cases led to a SIM card that was activated without the knowledge of the owner. Several WhatsApp accounts were also activated from the same phone. Honey traps and drug trades were also facilitated through the pre-activated WhatsApp numbers available in the market. Some of the SIM cards seized from Kozhikode also had WhatsApp and Paytm accounts registered.
The Crime Branch team led by Assistant Commissioner A.J. Johnson and a Special Investigation Team led by Aishwarya Dongre are questioning the accused while the Enforcement Directorate has also started an investigation into the case.
