Pune: ATS Arrests Five, Traces 6,820 SIM Cards to Fake Telephone Exchange In Kondhwa

Kondhwa, 11th September 2024: An investigation by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has uncovered startling details about a fake telephone exchange operating in the Meeta Nagar area of Kondhwa. The exchange allegedly provided 6,820 SIM cards for attending calls from abroad to local numbers. ATS arrested two additional suspects on Monday (9th September), bringing the total number of individuals taken into custody to five.

The recently arrested individuals include Naushad Ahmed Siddiqui alias Kumar (32), a resident of Kondhwa; Muhammad Ujair Shaukat Ali Ansari alias Sonu (29), a resident of Bhiwandi; and Piyush Subhashrao Gajbhiye (29), a resident of Wardha. After their police custody expired, they were produced in court on Tuesday (10th September).

Now, ATS has arrested Abdul Qasim Siddiqui alias Rehan (34), a resident of Bhiwandi, and Praveen Gopal Srivastava, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, on Monday. Rehan and Srivastava, along with Naushad, Piyush, and Sonu, have been remanded in police custody until 13th September. It has been revealed that Rehan trained Naushad, Piyush, and Sonu on how to operate the fake telephone exchange.

Initially, the accused ran a similar operation in Bhiwandi before Rehan moved Naushad, Piyush, and Sonu to Kondhwa to set up a new exchange. Rehan also opened bank accounts for the three.

During the operation in Kondhwa, ATS recovered 3,788 SIM cards. The accused had discarded 77 SIM cards at Bhandari Bridge in Kondhwa, all of which have been traced. Srivastava is believed to have supplied 6,820 SIM cards to the accused, with 62 of them registered in Uttar Pradesh. ATS informed the court that the accused will be taken to Uttar Pradesh for further investigation.