Encrypted platforms are high in demand owing to their discreet framework by crime syndicates. However, law enforcement agencies are a step ahead when tackling such menace, a fine example arises of late when the Belgian police raided several hideouts of criminals associated with the country’s goriest crimes, including murders, drugs, firearms and much more. 23 criminals were rounded up during this operation which took place in different locations across Belgium, and interestingly these raids were the result of decrypting modes of communication made through encrypted phones of Xrypt. This operation has sent shockwaves across the underworld, sending chills down the crime lord’s spines who are still at large. The officials were successful in barging in through the communication channels used by organized criminal networks lurking in and around Belgium, leading to their arrests.
Hacking is not new to the world of criminal investigators, but this was a bit different and difficult too as encrypted gadgets in the form of handsets were the subject that needed to be decoded, and the erased data had to be retrieved, which in itself was a big task as the company had programmed the data on these encrypted handsets to be extinguished within seconds of being sent, unlike others where there’s always a possibility of retrieving expunged data. On the condition of anonymity, one official associated with the operation said, “We tracked the culprits through IMEI number & cellphone tower tracking. What worked in our favour was the IMEI changing option that was falsely advertised by Xrypt which led the team on the right track.”
The users were paying high subscription fees for these encrypted services and devices which went kaput, resulting in them falling flat on their faces. A similar operation took place in 2021 when the operations of Sky ECC network were frozen following a similar tactic used by the police officials. This event has opened up Pandora’s box for many criminal syndicates, and many arrests are in the pipeline, waiting to see the light of the day.
