The Crime Branch officials on Tuesday arrested one Vallapil Raman Shivdasan, alias Jerry Verghese, who was allegedly involved in an illegal telephone racket.
The Crime Branch officials on Tuesday arrested one Vallapil Raman Shivdasan, alias Jerry Verghese, who was allegedly involved in an illegal telephone racket which caused a loss of Rs5.5 crore to the government and VSNL.
A red-corner notice was issued against Verghese as he fled to Dubai after the racket was busted in 2004. According to sources, in October 2004, the anti-extortion cell of the Crime Branch raided a house in OLG Villa, Medonna Colony, Borivili (West), and unearthed an illegal telephone exchange. Gopal Lacchu Shetty, Pratap Bhojraj Thakur, Kotikudan Rajan Vallapil Madhu and Girish Raghvan ND Kurkai were arrested at that time.
“These people were functioning as illegal operators since January 2003. They had made provision for several telephone lines with ISD facilities that enabled their clients to receive international calls bypassing the authorised bodies such as VSNL and BSNL,” an official said on condition of anonymity.
“After preliminary investigations it was found that Shetty was handling the operations in Mumbai on Verghese’s instructions.”
In the raid, the police recovered 49 telephones, 50 extended chargers, one satellite modem, two RAD multiplexes, a voltage cut-off device, a booster, panel of antenna, dish antenna, antenna tracking device, computer, etc, worth around Rs31.40 lakh.
A case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Telegraphs Act 1950 and the police launched a manhunt for Verghese. “Investigations revealed that he had absconded to Dubai. Hence a red- corner notice was issued against him. He dodged the police for nearly five years.
“However, Verghese had recently come to Bangalore and was intercepted by the police there. He was handed over to us on Tuesday,” the official said.
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