Nepals illegal VoIP kingpin Dangol nabbed in India
KATHMANDU, APR 03 -
Bhola Kishore Dangol, believed to be the kingpin of illegal Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) operation in Nepal, has been arrested in India. He was arrested by Darjeeling Police from Mirik, West Bengal for illegally installing transmitters and wireless equipment.
Dangol, who was on ‘most wanted list’ of the Nepal Police and Department of Revenue Investigation, had remained underground nearly for last ten months after revelation of his involvement in operation of illegal call by pass.
DIG Upendra Kant Aryal, chief of Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), said that the Dangol had been nabbed by Darjeeling Police for act banned by Indian government. “Since he was arrested in the Indian territory, action will be taken as per the law there,” he added. CIB had been searching Dangol since August last.
“Preliminary investigation by the police suggests that Dangol was trying to use VoIP technology to make international calls,” writes online edition of The Telegraph, quoting the Darjeeling Police. Police have also seized a TP link router, Net booster, modem, repeater, power splitter, CPU, laptop and a big antenna from Dangol, according to the newspaper report. He was operating under the name Kishore Pradhan. Dangol, who was arrested on March 13, has claimed to Indian Police that he was representing Hong Kong-based company, Global International Service, Chinese company Touch Telecom and the Nepal-based Global Digital Network. A charge-sheet has been filed against Dangol under Section 6 of the Indian Wireless Telegraph Act, 1933, and if found guilty, he can be imprisoned up to three years with a fine.
Nepal Police sources said that since there was no legal way to extradite him to Nepal, Nepal Police can arrest him after he completes his sentence in India. Dangol is accused of operating illegal VoIP through Global Internet Services, a local internet service provider where he was the managing director, and causing damage of million rupees to the domestic telecom operators and the government.
According to police sources, the CIB had received information about Dangol’s illegal operation from bordering areas of India. A CIB team was also deployed to the major suspected areas but failed to yield desired result. Dangol is accused of using Nepali SIM cards to operate VoIP from bordering areas in India.
Two months ago, the Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) had filed a case against Dangol alongwith Global Internet Services Chairman Tarakman Singh and their accomplices Prakash Kumar Pawan, Bhaskar Sharma Poudel and Madan Nepal in the Lalitpur District Court. Police have already arrested Singh and Pawan. However, the main accused Dangol had remained elusive. According to the DRI, Pawan, Poudel and Nepal had assisted Dangol in running the VoIP racket from Kupandol, Manbhawan and Nakkhu in Lalitpur.
The DRI has sought a penalty of Rs 2.59 billion against them. The amount includes Rs 865 million loss caused to the government and a fine double the amount (Rs 1.73 billion), as per the Revenue Leakage Investigation and Penalty Act.
CIB investigation shows that Dangol had been involved in VoIP call bypass for the last four years through Global Internet Services. Global Internet was also found providing internet services to Bhaskar Sharma Paudel and Rupak Maharjan who were also involved in operating illegal call bypass. The CIB probe shows that the duo had been by-passing calls for the last two years by renting a house in Manbhwan, Lalitpur. The CIB had arrested Paudel and Maharjan on July 25 with equipment being used for the call-bypass.
Source: Kantipur
