Bangladesh authorities have uncovered a major illegal Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) operation in Dhaka’s Hazaribagh area, seizing over 1,500 SIM cards and high-capacity VOIP equipment used to re-route international calls and dodge government levies.
In a joint raid on Wednesday night, members of RAB-2 and the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) arrested 38-year-old Md Raju, alleged ringleader of the operation, from a rented apartment in the capital.
The team recovered 26 VOIP SIM boxes (up to 256 ports), 6 wifi routers, 6 signal devices, 2 laptops, and SIM cards from major telecom providers including Grameenphone, Robi, Airtel, and Teletalk.
Officials say the syndicate had been operating without a license, causing “multi-crore losses” to the national treasury by bypassing legal telecom channels.
“This was a sophisticated setup aimed at exploiting the system for profit,” said a senior RAB officer. Legal proceedings are underway, and further action is expected.
The authorities vowed to continue cracking down on illegal VOIP networks, calling them a threat to national revenue and telecom integrity.
