The US company named Spundan IT Plus has been accused of providing database of telecom service providers and personal data of subscribers to anyone for a price.
For government officials in Madhya Pradesh, it seems trouble may not end with the massive admission and job recruitment scam, also known as the Vyapam Scam.
Cops in Madhya Pradesh might land up in a fresh soup if the Central Bureau of Investigation probes accusations made by a whistleblower that 4000 police personnel had been illegally snooping on individuals using a software provided by a US company without taking prior permission from home secretary of the state was not sought.
The US company named Spundan IT Plus has been accused of providing database of telecom service providers and personal data of subscribers to anyone for a price. The corporate offices of the company according to its website are in Sandy and Salt Lake City in USA. The two offices of the company based in India are both in Indore.
The PIL filed by the Vyapam whistleblower Prashant Pandey claims that software, CRA 1 and CRA 2 provided by the company were being used by around 4,000 police officers to snoop on individuals since 2008. Even more interesting is the fact that the whistleblower claims that the same software is used by betting syndicates to carry out their operations which include spying on individuals related to various sports with cricket being their favorite.
The investigation can also put the telecom service providers into a fix as they brace up for an irreparable damage to the relations with their respective subscribers.
"The illegal interception of calls, generation of call detail records etc are not only violative of Indian Telegraph Act and Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act but are also fueling various criminal activities like extortion, betting and others and has a direct bearing on National Security," reads the plea submitted to the apex court by Vyapam Scam whistleblower, Prashant Pandey
"These softwares are available in open market for a paltry sum of Rs5,000 per month for a police officer/investigating agency and upto Rs5 to Rs50 lakhs per month, for betting bookies, telemarketing companies and others who can pay for it at a much higher rate," it reads further.
While speaking to dna, Pandey said that that he was aware that the accusations were serious but he is sure that the truth will come out during the course of an investigation.
"These software's tools are being used for illegal activities of providing and accessing extremely confidential and sensitive information relating to the data base of telecom service providers, personal data of its user's and subscribers and also exact physical locations of its transmitting towers across the country," said Pandey.
"I have worked as a consultant technical expert in field of digital forensic science and had offered his services to various enforcement/investigating agencies of the country. I was also involved in the busting of SIMI module in Indore and other operations so I very well know how agencies operate when it comes to monitor individuals," he added.
The three numbers provided on the web page were contacted by dna on Monday While one number did not answer the calls, the second number was being used by a local journalist who said that he had filed a complaint with the telecom operators as to why was he receiving calls from people asking for Spundan IT pulse.
The last number when contacted by dna was answered by someone who first identified herself as an official of the company but later retracted her statement saying that she was not an employee of the company.
Waiting for direction
CBI sources told dna that so far no notice has been received by agency in this regard and added that investigations can only be launched if directed by the judiciary or the concerned government.
Whistleblower Pandey said that that he was aware that the accusations were serious but he is sure that the truth will come out during the course of an investigation
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