The Hindu : New Delhi News : Law & Order

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 01, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Law & Order

A reprogrammed handset can easily fall into wrong hands Prashant Pandeyfinds more

Cell phone thefts turning into organised ventures

Unscrupulous elements in the Capital are turning mobile phone thefts into profitable and organised ventures thanks to the thriving grey markets in Delhi and elsewhere in country. The menace also means increased security risk which has become a matter for concern for the Delhi police.

Anti-social elements having links with receivers of stolen property rope in minors with no criminal records or young unemployed men to steal the phones. The thieves usually scout around congested places looking for their victims. "There have also been a couple of cases of thieves sneaking into a wedding venue dressed up as guests and stealing more than a couple of handsets," said a police officer. It is estimated that 30 to 40 mobile phones are stolen in the Capital almost each day.

Those employing the thieves pay them off mostly at the spot. These men then contact the receivers, usually small shopkeepers and deliver the stolen handsets to them. Having pocketed their commission, they "disappear" from the chain. The shopkeepers then deliver the same to bigger dealers operating out of known grey markets like Gaffar Market in Karol Bagh.

In the past, the police had the chance of tracking down stolen mobile phones from these markets with the help of the unique IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number of the handset. But in the past couple of years, dealers in the grey market have begun reprogramming the IMEI number which makes it practically impossible to track down the location of a stolen handset. "There is easily available software with which the IMEI number can be changed. This is done either by the higher level dealer or by the middle level receiver," said the officer.

The reprogrammed handsets are then sent to other metro cities, predominantly Mumbai, where they are disposed of. For that matter, Mumbai has in the past couple of years emerged as the biggest market for stolen handsets.

The price difference between the genuine and stolen handsets is the prime reason for it. The telecom authorities acknowledge that such handsets are even exported and imported. However, there is no hard intelligence on this.

What the police fear is that a reprogrammed handset can easily fall into wrong hands thereby increasing the security risk. Besides terrorists, even local criminals can use the same to commit crimes.

How much and what can the police do to curb the menace? Well, not much. Tracking stolen mobile phones is primarily a technical job and it needs dedicated men who can follow the leads. This is something the police cannot really promise in the current scenario.

Nevertheless, the police can definitely try and create a database of stolen handsets in as detailed a manner as possible. Also, they can create awareness among people so that the incidence of theft does not spiral out of control.

A database of stolen handsets will help the cellular phone manufacturers and service providers in devising ways to track down the stolen handsets. But, while the police role may be vital, a lot of work needs to be done by the manufacturers and service providers themselves. For instance, efforts are now on to create tamper proof IMEI numbers.

Further, the problem of handset theft and reprogramming of their IMEI numbers is not only confined to India. It has a global dimension too. It is in this context that the European Union is trying to create a "global register of IMEI numbers" to help the agencies in tracking down stolen handsets across the globe.

But these and other such initiatives are going to take quite a long time. Till then, perhaps, an alert mobile phone user can be the best and the only deterrent against the theft menace.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi

News Update

Stories in this Section