Date:14/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/14/stories/2008111461040400.htm

Tamil Nadu

Man held for hacking cell phone, making threatening calls to banks

Special Correspondent

TAMBARAM: The Pazhavanthangal police arrested a 37-year-old man on charges of “hacking” cell phone connection of a friend and making threatening calls to a nationalised bank in Nanganallur.

Briefing reporters, the police said that Thangadurai of SBI Colony had obtained a loan of Rs.15 lakh from Chinnappa Das and Dheenan for running a travel agency. After some time, the two started asking Thangadurai to repay the loan, but he expressed his inability to do so.

When they insisted, Thangadurai hatched a plan to frame them. The police said that after taking the loan of Rs.15 lakh, Thangadurai had set up a cell phone recharge outlet. With the help of some of his friends, he managed to “hack” the cell phone number of Dheenan.

He diverted the telephone calls from Dheenan’s number and managed to make outgoing calls from it.

Thangadurai had threatened officials of a couple of branches of nationalised banks in Nanganallur from Dheenan’s number, the police said.

Following complaints, the police interrogated Dheenan, who pleaded innocence.

Investigations led to the trail of Thangadurai, who confessed to having committed the crime to settle scores with the two men , the police said.

He was arrested and remanded to judicial custody.