Superintendent of Police, Vellore district, has entrusted to the District Crime Branch (DCB), Vellore, the complaint forwarded by the General Manager of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Vellore Telecom District, about the fraud committed by a customer who purchased Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards and absconded after using the same for making international calls worth Rs. 1.97 crore in the last one-and-a-half months, thus causing a huge loss to the BSNL.
According to police sources, a company styled as Himalaya Herbal in Sankaranpalayam in Vellore, had purchased 126 SIM cards, out of which 37 had been used for making international calls. The DCB has sought evidence from the BSNL about the fraud in order to facilitate the registration of a case and further investigation.
When asked about the fraud, A. Shajahan, General Manager, BSNL, Vellore, told newspersons here on Monday that the fraud came to light when BSNL authorities who sent bills for payment to the address of the company, found that there was no company by the name Himalaya Herbal in the given address. The customer had purchased the SIM cards under the CUG (closed user group) category. When questioned further about the fraud, Mr. Shajahan refused to divulge the details of the case, on the grounds that it was under police investigation.
The vigilance cell of the BSNL is also making a parallel investigation into the fraud.
