Thane CDR racket exposed: Fake cop, dismissed constables & leaked telecom data under probe

THANE: The Thane Crime Branch's investigation into the illegal Call Detail Record (CDR) extraction racket revealed startling details about key accused Sohail Rajput's operations. This included his elaborate impersonation of a police officer and the use of multiple electronic devices to conduct his illegal activities.Investigators seized five mobile phones and a laptop from Rajput, all of which are currently undergoing examination for further leads into the case and to understand the extent of the racket. Officials are scrutinising his call records to map his network and identify potential collaborators in the racket that has sent shockwaves through the law enforcement community, said a senior police officer. "The probe is in the right direction, and we shall soon arrest the fourth accused in the case, who is the brother of Rajput," a senior police official told TOI on condition of anonymity.The investigation revealed that Rajput went to extraordinary lengths to pass himself off as a police officer, using a police nameplate, cap, vehicle siren, and even carrying a fake gun. Police officers believe this false identity may have been used to intimidate targets or gain access to restricted information. “We are probing him from all angles,” added the officer.The racket came to light last week when two constables from the Thane Cyber Crime Cell, Akash Surve and Harshad Parab, were arrested and subsequently dismissed from service for allegedly leaking sensitive telecom data to private detective agencies for monetary gain. According to police officers, the operation ran since 2022, with the dismissed constables misusing their govt credentials to obtain CDRs and Subscriber Detail Records (SDRs) without proper authorisation. The investigation revealed that the duo collaborated with known offenders, including Sohail Mohammed Rajput and his currently absconding brother Salik Mohammed Rajput, to distribute the illegally obtained data.