The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : The mystery of missing cellphones

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 12, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

The mystery of missing cellphones

As the communication revolution expands, the mobile phone has become an essential commodity.

But sadly, the number of mobile equipment getting lost is also increasing.

Whether theft or loss, the consumer ends up knocking at the doors of the city police. And often, the response is not very encouraging. "Do you think we do not have any better work than tracing your cellphone which you lost because of your carelessness?" is an answer several consumers get when they approach the police.

Prateek, an animation artiste said, "They refused to take my complaint and lodge an FIR. Instead, they gave me a non-traceable certificate."

The reply of the policemen does not seem to be completely unfair. In 2003, about 3,000 people complained of missing mobile phones and 300 reported that their phones were stolen. In January and February 2004 alone, 60 theft cases and 900 missing cases were reported. The latest figures are not available but the Police department says the numbers have gone up manifold.

But what is reported could be only a small fraction of the actual number, says the Joint Commissioner of Police-South Chennai, G.U.G. Sastry. The department had a series of discussions with mobile service providers and wanted a coordinated effort involving technological interventions to contain the incidents.

On the other hand, all police stations have been asked to take cognisance of the information provided by complainants on cellphone losses, especially when it is difficult to establish a theft.

Technically, however, it is possible to block a stolen GSM phone, using its International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, said a spokesperson of a popular service-provider.

In several countries, the service-providers block calls from handsets that are reported lost. A few years ago, a similar arrangement was possible through consortium meetings when there were fewer players in the metro. Now, the seven-year-old market has learnt to hoodwink the security system. Once a GSM mobile phone is stolen, the SIM card is thrown off and the instrument finds its way into the grey market and some other telecom circle, the spokesman said.

Evolving a strong network between service-providers and exchanging information on phone losses across the country could be an option but the logistics required was huge, the spokesman added.

Moreover, if all calls are routed through the authentication check, the call set up time will increase by a few seconds affecting all sections of subscribers. Tracking of the instrument, however, requires several approvals as it involves observing the calls made from the instrument reported lost.

The insurance sector too has been a victim of the circumstances. A representative of New India Assurance said the company insisted on an FIR copy and a non-traceable certificate from the consumer for insurance claims. The claims have gone up manifold and the companies are gradually withdrawing from cellphone insurance. One company has withdrawn its scheme to insure cellphones bought from outlets of a popular brand in the city from December 1.

An inspector said there were instances of cellphone owners making false insurance claims just to buy a new handset.

The increasing number of losses, coupled with the misuse of the insurance provisions, is playing havoc among the city's cellphone-users, say representatives of the police and the insurance sector. A solution is still not in sight.

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The mystery of missing cellphones