KOLKATA: Kolkata police is in a tizzy after several ‘coded’ Very High Frequency (VHF) radio communications in suspected Pashto language of Afghanistan were intercepted recently. The police department is worried as similar coded interactions from across the border in Bangladesh but in Bengali were intercepted prior to the Basirhat communal riot last year, and feared that terror operatives may be planning some act of terror or to foment any trouble in the city.
Though the police have not yet succeeded in decoding the communication, they have found that the communication originated from within 25-30 km radius around Kolkata. The issue first came to light last week when members of the West Bengal Radio Club intercepted a 1-1.5 minute coded communication. They alerted the Ministry of Telecommunication eastern zonal office in the city which has a monitoring cell. They also submitted the log book noting down the timing of the communications.
Though the issue was not given much importance in the beginning, the authorities became alert after the number of radio communications increased over the past few days. “We intercepted the suspicious communication in unknown language last week.
We have submitted the audio clippings to the Ministry of Telecommunication, state police and CID,” West Bengal Radio Club secretary Ambaresh Nag Biswas said. Since then, multiple agencies are attempting to decode the communications and find their source. However, none have met with any success yet.State ADGP (telecommunication) Debashis Roy said: “We have received information about suspicious radio communication and have informed the Home Ministry.”
Purpose still unknown
The police are worried as similar coded interactions from Bangladesh but in Bengali were intercepted prior to the Basirhat communal riot last year, and feared that terror operatives may be planning some act of terror or to foment any trouble in the city. The recent communications originated from within 25-30 km radius around Kolkata