CHENNAI: Everyday around 40 mobile phones are reported missing in Chennai.

But though they say they are continuing investigations, police are rarely able to crack the cases.

Officers in the cyber wing told The Hindu on Wednesday that the police should not be seen as inefficient; the problem is lack of proper facilities to solve such crimes. "What is required is one, a modern laboratory, two, trained personnel who have better working knowledge of software, and three, access to the database of mobile service providers," officers said.

"Currently, we rely on the forensic and science lab in Hyderabad that is the only one with the facilities to detect complex mobile phone-related crimes. However, as it is busy with major crimes reported from across the country, cracking mobile thefts takes more time."

Once a phone is stolen, the culprits destroy the SIM card and keep the phone turned off. Later, the handsets are sold through dealers, police say.

Mobile service providers can freeze the number and provide a duplicate card, but cannot track the instrument. The state-of-the-art forensic science lab, which the police require would cost around Rs. 1 crore. "This should not be a hindrance as the Government could earmark the funds under its modernisation programme," a senior officer said. "When we have the facilities in place, we can instantly locate the missing handsets."

A missing handset can be tracked using the international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) number, a unique 15-digit number given to each mobile phone. Police say this number can be used to track the phone even if a different SIM card is used. The officers also feel they should be given access to the mobile phone service providers' database. "When we are given the access rights, we can go ahead with the investigation," they said.

The Anna University has experts who are assist a few police wings with mobile theft and cyber crimes, but the need of the hour is a lab here.

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