Baghdad Connection: Call Waiting

However, little happened along the way till Hamdan’s promoters resurfaced in January 2000 when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) cracked an illegal telephone exchange operating out of Panchsheel Enclave. This was the same office from which Hamdan was found to be operating when the Volcker report surfaced and created a political storm.

Hamdan is the typical outfit that runs on political patronage. It switched from product to product and survived on quick deals. It obviously doesn’t seem to have done much business promotion in the local market. ED officials suspect that much of the monies the company earned may have been stashed away in tax havens abroad and the company may have just played the role of a middleman in international deals. In fact, investigators discovered last week that the export licence of the firm was cancelled on June 22, 2004. There are no records available so far to indicate it was renewed.

The CBI cracked down on the illegal telecom exchange and found three persons associated with the company to be running the exchange, Vinayak Communications—Vikas Dhar, Andaleeb and Dharamvir. The company was chargesheeted recently. Arguments for framing of charges in the case are currently being heard. In the last five years, the CBI also recovered a Paradise Datacom P-300 satellite modem, aHICOM 300E series Siemens switch, a 3.8 metre dish antenna and 40 lines to operate an illegal exchange. Officials now say the exchange was used to illegally route international calls, most of which were from Iraq. As for Hamdan, they were only able to trace a few possible shipments of meat to Iraq. What has raised eyebrows is the fact that there are no traces of any sales tax being paid, which is strange for an export house of this size.

Both Sehgal and Dhar, presently in the dock because of the Volcker report revelations, belong to prominent families. The Dhars have a stake in a Srinagar hotel. They also have a stake in a gym in Delhi’s upscale Jorbagh. ED has raided the office in the gym premises. As the story unfolds, it’s clear there is much that is questionable about Andaleeb, Vikas and Hamdan Exports.