A joint team comprising officials from DRI, Nepal police and Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) - the telecommunication regulator - has been investing into VOIP racket after a police investigation found involvement of ISPs in illegal call bypassing activities. The investigation was initiated on August 2.[break]
Investigation team has been probing the confiscated documents, computers and other equipment used in illegal activities by Global Soft Net, Global Internet Service, Net-plus Technology, I-plus, Namche Network and Cherry World Communication.
"Our investigation shows that three ISP firms - Global Soft Net, Global Internet Service and Net-plus Technology had bought recharge cards amounting to Rs 139.9 million from Nepal Telecom, Ncell and United Telecom Ltd (UTL) for illegal VOIP operation," a highly placed source at DRI told Republica.
The source said the amount invested by those firms to purchase recharge cards was determined through the email records of the firms and telecom companies.
Global Net was operated by Bhola Kishor Dangol whereas Global Soft Net was run jointly by Tarak Man Singh, Praksha Kumar Pawan, Arun Kumar Jain and Dangol. Dangol,
Singh and Jain are absconding whereas Pawan has been taken into custody.
Similarly, Grish Giri was the proprietor of Net-plus. Remaining three firms - I-plus, Namche Network and Cherry World Communication - have been found not directly involved in the illegal VOIP but were subscribing the VOIP provided by Global Soft Net, Global Internet Service and Net-plus Technology.
Nepal Telecom and Ncell have filed cases against different ISPs at Lalitpur District Court, seeking compensation for the loss of business worth Rs 1.72 billion due to illegally operated VOIP to bypass the international incoming calls.
According to the source, Nepal Telecom and Ncell have claimed the loss amounting to Rs 1.38 billion and Rs 345 million to the VOIP racket.
"Revenue losses by NT and Ncell have been claimed at Rs 266.3 million and Rs 37.3 million respectively," said the source. However, UTL has not assessed the loss due to call bypassing by these ISPs.
IC misappropriation
Meanwhile, DRI investigation has found that Birgunj-based Maha Laxmi Enterprises and Jay Laxmi Traders as well as Rehan Traders in Kapilvastu are found to have misappropriated Rs 20 million worth of Indian Currency in the name of importing potatoes through Sithauli small customs under Krishna Nagar customs by producing fake demand draft and customs declaration forms to Laxmi Bank´s branch in Birgunj.
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