The special investigation team probing the parallel telephone exchange case has received some reliable tip-off confirming the connection of one of the suspected persons in the case with the gold smuggling racket in the State. The Thodupuzha native, who is also a suspect in the parallel telephone exchange case, is claimed to be one of the close associates of K.T. Rameese, who was earlier arrested in connection with the gold smuggling case.
The special investigation team from Kozhikode is planning to quiz the man who is now undergoing imprisonment in Telangana after he was convicted in a parallel exchange running case. During the Telangana police team’s interrogation, he had reportedly revealed his job as a carrier for Rameese.
According to police sources, the youth was suspected of maintaining close connections with Ibrahim Pullat as well who was earlier arrested by the Karnataka police in connection with a major parallel telephone exchange case in Bengaluru. He had been brought to Kozhikode as part of the efforts of the special investigation team to gather more evidence in the case registered in Kozhikode city.
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According to police sources, the Thodupuzha native was also part of the gangs that operated parallel telephone exchanges in various parts of Kerala last year. He had also been arrested by the Ernakulam police in connection with the incident.
It was on June 1 that the police busted the illegal telephone exchanges in the city and seized a number of accessories used for operating the illegal service. A special squad had been constituted to probe the case as extremists were suspected of utilising the parallel service for their communications. There were also allegations that the gold smuggling rackets too were using the parallel service.