26/11 attackers used VOIP: Callphonex

A US-based witness told the special court in Mumbai on Tuesday that the gunmen involved in the 26/11 attacks had used the VoIP service of "Callphonex" to make calls to their Pakistani handlers.

The witness, owner of Callphonex, is the fourth to reveal Pakistan's link to the November 26 terror attacks case. "The 26/11 terrorists were in constant touch with their handlers in Pakistan through Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) account they had opened in October last year," the witness told the court via video link from Canada.

The witness told the court that on October 20, he had received a mail from one "Kharak Singh" from the email account 'kharaktelco@yahoo.com',

who said he was from India, expressing desire to open an account with Callphonex. "We had provided them with three facilities - 15 calls from computer to phone, 10 calls to common client accounts and direct inward dialing," the witness told special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam.

According to Nikam, the conspirators had made several test calls to Mumbai prior to the attack. "At least 150 test calls were made between November 24-26," he told PTI. Nikam told the court that besides the calls made through VoIP, the slain terrorists had also used the mobiles of victims to make calls to their handlers.