KARACHI: Pakistan’s biggest commercial hub, Karachi, has been gripped by a new business of selling stolen mobile phones after “patching”, which is plagued by street crime and robberies at gunpoint.
The mafia involved in the illegal business resells stolen mobile phones after patching them, changing their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number to make it untraceable.
A person selling a stolen cell phone has to pay only Rs 500 to Rs 1000 to get their IMEI number changed.
Market sources say that only IMEI number checking websites, Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) or expert technicians can check or restore the original IMEI number of a patched phone.
He said that a patched mobile phone is available for 10,000 to 15,000 rupees cheaper than the original price and ordinary citizens cannot identify the fraud while buying such mobile phones.
This fraud is similar to tampering with the engine or chassis numbers of a stolen vehicle. The difference is that it is difficult to restore the original chassis number of the vehicle while it is easy to restore the changed IMEI number of the mobile phone with the help of software.
Sources further said that Samsung Note series, OnePlus, Motorola and other local mobiles are common phones which are being grafted by the mafia operating in Orangi Town, Banaras, Quaidabad, Sakhi Hasan and Sadar.
Vendors selling such phones have contacts with police and government agencies.
Such specific vendors in mobile markets are colluding with the police and institutions.
According to sources, a large number of seized mobile phones are smuggled from Karachi to Quetta through cars or buses, while large illegal mobile phone patching workshops are operating in Quetta.
Mobile phones that cannot be patched are smuggled into Afghanistan.
People can use the IMEI checkinfo website to verify the IMEI of their purchased mobile phone. In case of doubt CPLC can also be contacted.
