Multan Police unearth gateway exchange helping terrorists

 MULTAN: The district police on Friday traced an illegal telecommunication network helping terrorists besides transferring sensitive information for sabotage activities across the country.

Talking to The News on Friday, City Police Officer Azhar Ikram said five operators — Nisar Ahmad, Muhammad Irfan, Arshad Hussain, Abdur Rashid and Sikandar Mirza — had also been arrested.

He said a special team, after receiving information, raided a house in Old Goat Market on the Hazoori Bagh Road and unearthed the gateway exchange. He claimed that the telecommunication centre was not only helping terrorist networks but also anti-state elements, from local to international level.

The CPO said the operators were also accused of spending millions on terrorist activities which they collected through tax evasion. The operators were in close contact with their masters, he added.

He said the police also recovered 46 illegal telephone exchanges/gateways of eight SIMs capacity, 10 telephone exchanges of 16 SIMs capacity, 12 telephone exchanges of 32 SIMs capacity, 39 TP link devices, 12 laptops, one single-phase electronic meter, one CPU, one Kalashnikov and other items. He said the police were investigating illegal gateway exchange links with terrorist groups, including Daish.