Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 17, 2007
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Saturday, Nov 17, 2007 ePaper |
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Tamil Nadu
No day goes without a complaint of cell phone theft, says S. Vijay Kumar Pockets are no more picked for money alone. There is mobile phone too… No day goes without a complaint of cell phone theft in the city. Though First Information Report (FIR) is usually not registered in such cases, service providers or mobile operators insist on a requisition from the police to act. While complainants keep running from pillar to post with a hope that technology and law will help them, there seems to be no systematic procedure that can help to retrieve a stolen handset. Complaints of cell phone thefts are common in buses, movie halls, shopping malls and other areas of public gathering. Some habitual offenders confessed to the police stealing was easy when handsets were kept in pouches attached to belts or when small tags are fastened to them. “Disposing of a stolen handset is easy as the used mobile phone market is vibrant. If a stolen handset is activated with a new sim card, it is difficult to locate the user. In cases where the same number or sim card remains active after the theft, the operator would be able to trace the outgoing calls and help the police to track down the suspect,” a senior police official said parrying questions on why the police were reluctant to register cases of cell phone thefts. According to an official in a private telecom company, every handset had a unique ‘IME’ number that would help to locate a tower in use. However, unlike in many developed countries, there was no centralised tracking mechanism common to all operators to detect stolen mobile instruments. “We provide itemised or detailed billing of specific numbers only when there is a requisition from the law enforcing agencies. It is difficult to locate a stolen handset if a fresh sim card is activated. Detection of IME numbers is possible in Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) phones,” he said. A couple of mobile operators have a separate team that co-ordinate with the police to handle complaints of mobile phone thefts. Even as insurance cover for expensive handsets was available, FIR was required to settle claims. “Some insurance companies accept receipts of complaints or non-traceable certificates issued by the police to settle claims,” he added.
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