NEW DELHI: Police have
busted
a
gang
that allegedly
changed
the
IMEIs
- the unique identifiers of a handset - of stolen mobiles and arrested three of its members.
The gang was active in west Delhi and aided several snatchers and mobile thieves, cops said.
The accused, identified as Narabjeet Singh (26), Manish Singh (23) and Gurmeet Singh (32), are residents of Tilak Nagar.
Police recovered 79
stolen phones
and a laptop with software and other incriminating data from the suspects.
Due to the changed IMEIs, cops are finding it difficult to connect the phones to various FIRs that were lodged. They have, however, managed to link them to four of the cases registered in their areas so far. Police are making efforts to connect the rest of the phones to their owners.
According to sources, many stolen mobile phones have not been found by police due to a rise in the number of 'IMEI changers' in the city. The trend has left the cops worried. As per official records, only a small percentage of snatched or stolen mobile phones are recovered. Most of the time, people get a new SIM issued after a theft, so cops use the IMEI (international mobile equipment identity) to track stolen phones.
Police said the gang used a special software that assigned a new IMEI to handsets, thereby omitting its only evidence of being a stolen phone. The 'changed' mobiles would then be sold in the grey market as genuine, used phones.
The gang was busted after sub-inspector Amit's team received a tip about a suspect engaged in this business. A trap was laid and the accused, Narabjeet, was arrested with a mobile phone. The handset was stolen from Hari Nagar and its IMEI was found to have been changed.
During interrogation, the suspect told cops he and his associates had changed the IMEIs using a complex process which made tracing a phone nearly impossible. Another suspect, Gurmeet, was responsible for collecting the phones from snatchers and thieves and bringing it to their shop where it was 'operated upon', Narabjeet revealed.
"We are investigating the source of these mobile phones and where they were being sold," said DCP (West) Vichitra Veer.
IMEI is a 15-digit serial number which is different for every mobile phone in the world. These numbers are stored in a database called the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR). The number reveals details about a phone without requiring physical possession, such as brand and model, year of release, and other specifications. One can dial *#06# from their phone to know its IMEI number.
