The District Crime Branch team investigating the parallel telephone exchange case has secured the custody of prime suspect P. Ibrahim, who was convicted in an illegal telephone exchange case in Bengaluru. The Malappuram native was brought to the city from the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru as part of the follow-up investigation on Saturday.
Crime Branch sources said Ibrahim was the key accused in the Bengaluru case that exposed illegal communication between Pakistan-based intelligence operatives and Indians. The main purpose behind the Bengaluru parallel telephone exchange was to elicit confidential information related to military installations in India, they said. Ibrahim will be interrogated by various squads for information.
According to Crime Branch officials, Ibrahim’s custody was sought following preliminary findings that he had close relations with those who operated the illegal network in Kozhikode. Though only one person had been arrested so far in the case, he had reportedly revealed details of persons who had major stakes in the covert business, they said.
The Crime Branch team from Kozhikode had sought the support of the Bengaluru police after tracing the suspected involvement of some of the convicted persons in similar cases in Karnataka. The case was taken over by the Crime Branch as the preliminary investigation reports indicated the possibility of extremists misusing the network.
Along with the Bengaluru police, the hi-tech crime inquiry cell supported by the Kerala Police Cyberdome will assist the follow-up investigation into the case. Retrieving call details from over 700 SIM cards seized during the raids will be the crucial challenge for the cyber investigation team.
It was on July 1 that the City Police conducted flash searches in multiple locations and exposed the operation of eight parallel telephone exchanges in Kozhikode. On July 2, one of the operators was arrested and call routing accessories and SIM cards were seized.
