Indian government officials have been accused of orchestrating a 600 billion rupee (A$14.2bn) scam after investigators found that lucrative mobile phone licences had been granted in 2007 on a “first-come, first-served basis” to “friendly companies” at implausibly low prices set in 2001.

India’s mobile industry has boomed in recent years to become the fastest-growing in the world, rendering asset prices set at the beginning of the decade ridiculously low, according to opponents of Andimuthu Raja, the Communications and IT Minister, whose department oversaw licence allocation.

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