07-05-2025
Two cops dismissed for running CDR racket
Thane: Two constables attached to the Thane Cyber Crime Cell were dismissed from service after their arrest in an illegal call detail record (CDR) racket. The duo was found to be leaking sensitive telecom data to private detective agencies in exchange for money, according to police. TOI in its edition dated May 7, 2025 had exclusively reported the arrest of the duo for thei involment in the commissioner of police Ashutosh Dumbre confirmed the action, stating, "Such acts will not be tolerated under any possible action will be taken against any police personnel misusing their position."The Crime Branch Unit-1 arrested constables Akash Surve and Harshad Parab for allegedly misusing govt credentials to illegally obtain CDRs and Subscriber Detail Records (SDRs) from telecom providers without the required clearance from senior officials. The operation reportedly began in 2022 and went unnoticed for several to investigators, the constables were working in tandem with history-sheeter Sohel Mohammed Rajput and his brother Salik Mohammed Rajput, who is currently absconding. Sohel reportedly passed the data to Salik, who in turn sold it to detective agencies at a said the constables charged between ₹15,000 and ₹25,000 per CDR, with additional fees for location tracking. In a more serious breach, constable Surve is believed to have given Rajput direct access to a secure internal application typically restricted to law enforcement transactions were traced from Rajput's account to the accused constables and even some of their family members. All three arrested accused were remanded to five days of police custody. Investigators suspect more names could emerge as the probe is not the first such scandal to hit Thane. In 2018, Crime Branch Unit-1 unearthed a similar CDR leak, although that case eventually fizzled out without definitive outcomes.
