KATHMANDU, Dec 28: Police have arrested a member of a racket involved in illegal operation of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) service, blocking Nepal Telecom´s gateway and bleeding its income.
The racket led by an Indian national was found to have been locally originating international calls by using Nepal Telecom´s SIM cards since last year, according to Metropolitan Police Crime Division (MPCD). Police also seized over two dozens of equipment from a rented building at Ravibhawan in Kathmandu.
MPCD nabbed Anawar Hussein, 24, from Kolkata in India. He partnered the covert business with Bharat Lal Shrestha, 27, from Nuwakot and another person called Raju, 32. The latter two are at large.
The seized equipment are worth millions of Nepali rupees, and include sophisticated wireless adaptors, VOIP gateways, and routers among others.
Police arrested Hussein at a time when illegal VOIP operators are reported to have been rampant in Nepal after Nepal Telecom legalized internet-borne phone calls.
According to Telecom Act 2053, misusing or doing anything harmful to the telecom system, to its structures, or to its equipment with malicious intention is a crime punishable with fine worth the amount claimed for harm caused or five years of jail or both.
MPCD has handed over Hussein to Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu, for his prosecution in court.
How does VOIP work?
International calls normally displayed with local numbers on screen are considered to be locally originated through illegal VOIP operators. They can also originate international calls displaying only 3 or 4 digits or a set of numbers like 000+4400+2222. Such calls are unclear or can disconnect time and again themselves.
Only licensed companies can operate VOIP service subject to tax system of the state concerned. The illegal VOIPs operators earn some 8-12 cent from a minute´s call.
According to investigative officer Inspector Gautam Kumar KC at MPCD, the illegal operators make possible landing or departure of incoming or outgoing international calls through pseudo-gateways with technical backup from digital or analog call bypass equipment.
Police officials say transaction by illegal VIOP operators or their extension in Nepal could be very high. Each of them can earn a profit of up to Rs 20,000 every day. Beside Nepal Telecom, they also use gateways of other mobile service providers.
Prosecutors say they are aware of possible role of technically capable staffs at telecom service providers in sustaining the illegal business.
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"Nepal Telecom legalized internet-borne phone calls." This is totally incorrect. Nepal Telecommunication Authority(NTA) is the regulatory body for telecom sector in Nepal. Nepal Telecom is merely an onperator, it has no right to set a law with regards to VOIP. It is the NTA which sets the law and legalize VOIP for outgoing calls only. Please check your facts before reporting!
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Saurav R Tuladhar
why is VOIP illegal in the first place? look around the world .. it´s legal everywhere. customers benefit from low price and better quality of service due to VOIP. when moronic rules makes something illegal, only illegals do it. so stop protecting NT´s monopoly and open up VOIP for benefit of customers. it is the latest in technology.
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