Giridih, Aug. 29: Dial Delhi or Dubai and pay for a local call.

Telephone subscribers in Giridih have cracked a “magic” code that allows them to dial numbers outside the state and the country and pay not more Rs 2 for a three-minute call.

All they need to do is punch 06438, which is the STD code needed to get through to Madhupur, followed by the city or country code and the number. For example, if you want to call a relative in Delhi, whose STD code is 011, dial 06438 011 followed by the telephone number. Similarly, if you have a friend in London, dial 06438 followed by the country code for England and the local number. You will pay according to the rates applicable for a call from Giridih to Madhupur, which has a pulse of 180 seconds.

PCO booth owners said they first noticed the problem a month ago. “We found that people were calling Delhi numbers and yet the meter showed that the call had been charged according to local rates. We complained to the telephone department but no action was taken,” said Aftab Ahmed, who owns a PCO booth on Station Road. He asked this correspondent to try out a Delhi number using the Madhupur code and it worked.

“Earlier,” Aftab added, “people could use the codes without having STD facility. But now only subscribers with STD connection can use it.”

Initially, the anomaly was known to those with access to the telecom department. But as word spread, people wishing to call long-distance numbers began demanding that they dial with the Madhupur prefix. “The callers insist that they be connected using the 06438 code. It has become a nuisance as it is eating into our profits,” said a disgusted Aftab.

Telephone officials at the Giridih exchange, which falls under the Hazaribagh circle, said they were aware of the problem but shrugged off responsibility. “The Hazaribagh office controls Giridih and so it is up to them to solve the problem,” said divisional engineer of telegraph, Giridih, Prabhash Choudhary.

Deputy general manager, Hazaribagh, T.K. Pal, acknowledged the problem. “I will inquire into the complaints,” he said, but stopped short of saying what action ought to be taken against officials who have allowed the problem to linger and cause a loss of lakhs to BSNL.

Sources in the telephone exchange here said the problem had been traced to Dumka, which controls Madhupur. “The problem has been identified but no one is willing to take the responsibility of informing the Dumka officials,” said an official, who did not wish to be named.

Until then, dial Madhupur and speak to anyone, even the penguins in Antarctica.