4 arrested with illegal calling cards, VoIP equipment worth Tk 20cr at Fakirapool

Four people were arrested yesterday with international calling cards and illegal VoIP equipment worth nearly Tk 20cr during a joint raid of Rapid Action Battalion and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission at a printing press in the capital's Fakirapool.

The arrestees are Mohammad Amir Hamza (33), Alamgir Hossain (45), Shamim Mia (29) and Sagar Mia (27). Among them, one is a fugitive accused in a case at the Sher-e-Bangla Police Station, according to a  BTRC press release issued today.

Several kinds of electronic equipment used in VoIP business were recovered from them.

If the international calling cards found from them were used, the government of Bangladesh could have been deprived of an estimated revenue of Tk 194,747,750 crore, said the release.

Primary investigation revealed that the arrestees are members of an illegal VoIP business ring. They have been running VoIP and international payment and recharge business illegally for seven to eight years.

A total of 150,000 printed cards of 107 types including Pakistan Voice, Qatar Express, Asian Telecom, NS Express, Prabasi Card, Swapan Tale, Super Card, Qatar Two were seized in the raid, it added.

They were also said to be illegally providing international recharge services and transacting money through hundi services.

Legal action is being taken against them.