তারা বলে সম্ভব না, আমি বলি সম্ভাবনা Well organized racket inside Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited [BTCL] is causing revenue loss to the country by keeping Call Detail Recorder [CDR] inoperative on a regular basis, by establishing undue alliance with unscrupulous operators of Voice Over Internet Protocol [VOIP]. A large number of corrupt officials and engineers at BTCL along with some of the top brasses in the Telecommunication Ministry in Bangladesh are reported linked with this racket. It is even alleged that the minister in the same ministry receives a significant portion of the bribe amount received by the racket from the unscrupulous VOIP operators, who actually keeps the matter aloof from the attention of the Prime Minister as well as other policymakers in the government. Seeking anonymity, a number of sources inside BTCL told Weekly Blitz that the Call Detail Recorder [CDR] is kept inoperative almost 18-20 hours every day, as per secret arrangement made between the unscrupulous VOIP operators, where the country is deprived of revenue worth TK. 50-70 million every day, while the racket inside BTCL receives a portion of the stolen amount of money from the licensed thus unscrupulous VOIP operators. It is further learnt that the only source of connecting global telecommunication network is based at Satellite Earth Station located at Mohakhali Earth Satellite Station in Dhaka. From this place, all incoming and outgoing international calls are monitored through Call Call Detail Recorder [CDR]. As the racket keeps the CDR system inoperative on a daily basis, the exact numbers of such calls are never detected by the authorities concerned. The source further said that the CDR is an important tool in generating revenue from the VOIP calls for the country. But there is no real monitoring of the pilferage of the VOIP call data at the Call Detail Recorder [CDR] in Bangladesh. It may be mentioned here that the government initiated tougher policies in combating corruption and pilferage inside Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited, in order to stop manipulation of the Call Detail Recorder [CDR]. Various intelligence agencies, including Rapid Action Battalion [RAB] have been engaged in combating illegal VOIP calls. But, none of the intelligence agencies or RAB has any constant monitoring on the Call Detail Recorder [CDR] system in Bangladesh, which is the key route of pilferage of millions of Taka every day. The sources in Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited as well as the ministry concerned told Weekly Blitz that a general manager of BTCL sent a letter to the managing director of the organization giving information on how the Call Detail Recorder [CDR] system has been kept inoperative by a racket inside BTCL thus causing huge revenue loss to the country. Following such letter, a committee was formed to investigate the total volume of time as well as amount of loss incurred due to illegal activities with the Call Detail Recorder [CDR] as well as illegal VOIP calls in past 10 years. It is alleged that, more than US$ 1.5 billion had already been looted from the expected amount of revenue by the unscrupulous VOIP operators as well as organized racket inside Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited by keeping the Call Detail Recorder [CDR] inoperative. But, none of the kingpins of such huge illegal activities are brought into book. It may be mentioned here that, following publication of an investigative report in Weekly Blitz in 2006, the first ever illegal VOIP call centre in Dhaka was busted by the members of the Rapid Action Battalion. This illegal call centre was owned by Helal Khan, a leader of the cultural front of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Though a case was later lodged with the Ramna Police Station in this connection, Helal Khan managed to escape legal actions as well as paying due compensation by bribing various influential people as well as by using the influence of the BNP aligned caretaker government of Professor Iajuddin Ahmed. It is also alleged that Helal Khan was regularly compensating various influential figures at infamous Hawa Bhaban [unofficial political office of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party] as well as the then political secretary to the Prime Minister, Harris Chowdhury. It is further learnt that Nowfal Zamir [son of Jamir Uddin Sircar] is also running VOIP business in Bangladesh through companies named Zamir Telecom [UK], Maisha Telecom [UK]. Name of the local partner of Maisha Telecom is Masud A. Mazher. According to information, this company is taking a major stake of the looted amount of revenue by keeping excellent relations with the BTCL. Weekly Blitz already received names of some of the corrupt officials at BTCL, who are collaborating the unscrupulous racket, as well as many discrepancies centering this business. Reports detailing all such information will appear in the near future.