Kochi, September 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a key accused who had been absconding for nearly 21 years in connection with an illegal telecom exchange case involving alleged revenue losses to the government and security concerns, the agency said on Thursday.
The accused, identified as Suresh Kumar Padmini Bini alias Bini S.P., was arrested in Thiruvananthapuram on September 23 while executing a Non-Bailable Warrant issued by the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Ernakulam.
According to the CBI, the case was registered on January 31, 2005. The investigation found that during 2004-05, the accused allegedly impersonated K. Sunil and used forged documents to fraudulently obtain telephone and internet connections.
The connections were allegedly used to operate an illegal telecom exchange from rented premises on SRM Road in Kochi.
The CBI said the accused had allegedly routed incoming international long-distance (ISD) calls through internet-based channels, bypassing authorised telecom gateways and regulatory mechanisms. The calls were allegedly terminated as local calls, causing a wrongful loss of approximately Rs 12.69 lakh to the government.
The agency said the illegal telecom exchange not only resulted in revenue loss but also raised serious national security concerns.
After completing the investigation, the CBI filed a charge sheet against the accused on March 25, 2008. However, he remained untraceable and continued to evade the judicial process for nearly two decades.
Following sustained efforts, intelligence gathering and follow-up, CBI investigators established the accused’s whereabouts and arrested him.
After completion of the required legal formalities, the accused was produced before the competent court in Ernakulam on September 23. The court remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody.
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