Probe against 12 top cops initiated by Thane police in Call Detail Record racket

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is yet to make his statement before the police

There's no telling how deep the rot goes in the Call Detail Record (CDR) racket. The Union Home Ministry is so concerned, that for the first time, it has given the Thane police a list of cops with CDR access who may have leaked private information. The CDR racket has already thrown up names of celebrities such as Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as well as several politicians, who allegedly got illegal access to citizens' phone records to spy on them. The Thane police found that this confidential information was leaked from the police, who get access to CDR for their investigations. The cops have already arrested one constable from Yavatmal for his involvement in the scam. However, it's not just junior cops who are involved in the racket.

Telecom operators release confidential phone records upon request from a DCP or higher-ranking cop. This info is then leaked or hacked into by private sleuths for a handsome payoff. Illustration/Ravi Jadhav

It goes all the way up
As per regulations, only an officer of the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) or higher can request for phone records from telecom operators. So far, the probe has revealed that 250-odd CDRs were leaked. The Thane police have discovered that the accused got the phone records by misusing police email IDs.

The cops suspect that in some cases, senior officials might be involved, while in others, juniors might have misused a superior officer's credentials to access the information. The constable arrested in Yavatmal is an example of the latter scenario. A third possibility is that private detectives might have hacked into the police IDs to access the CDR.

It was after this discovery that the Thane police wrote to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) about the probe. The MHA, in turn, informed the department of telecom (DoT). As per sources, there is an order by the MHA that prohibits disclosure of the agencies (police units) that have been given CDR for various investigations. This is to ensure that secrecy of any probe or operation is not leaked out. However, in this case, the MHA asked the DoT to amend the rule and release the information to the Thane police.

Big guns
Based on the list from the telecom department, as many as 12 senior officers from Maharashtra, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh are now under the Thane police's scanner. As per a senior officer from the Thane police, they have completed the first round of investigations involving private detectives, and are now likely to focus on cops involved in the scam. Among the detectives who were probed in the first round is Rajani Pandit, who is considered to be India's first woman sleuth. She is currently out on bail. The crime branch has so far arrested a total of 11 accused in the case.

'Nawaz cooperating'
Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, whose name cropped up in the CDR racket, after he allegedly spied on his wife, was supposed to appear before the police on Monday. He arrived at the Thane Crime Branch (Unit 1) on the same day, but did not stay to record his statement, as there was a horde of mediapersons waiting outside. Sources in the police said that they will record his statement at a later time, and he has informed the police of his willingness to cooperate.

Advocate Rizwan Siddiqui arrested
Late on Friday night, the Thane Crime Branch arrested Advocate Rizwan Siddiqui, lawyer of Nawazuddin Siddiqui. It is alleged that Rizwan procured the phone records of Nawazuddin's wife. Sources indicated that Rizwan may also have a deeper role in the racket.

12
Number of senior officers under probe in Maharashtra, Delhi and UP

250
No. of CDRs that have been misused

Also read: Nawazuddin Siddiqui caught spying on wife

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