Gang involved in changing IMEI of stolen mobile phones busted

The Shahrah-e-Noor Jehan police on Saturday busted a gang involved in snatching mobile phones and changing their IMEI. Police claimed arrest of four suspects and seized laptops and other technical apparatus from their possession.

Officials said the Shahrah-e-Noor Jehan police took the action on reports regarding a gang that snatched mobile phones and with the help of its accomplices changed their IMEI to sell them again.

A raid was carried out on the basis of intelligence, in which the police arrested four members of the gang.

The arrested men were identified as Zahid Shaukat, Ilyas, Adil and Manzoor. The law enforcers seized 16 stolen mobile phones, laptops, computers and two pistols from their possession.

During interrogation, the suspects revealed that they were involved in dozens of incidents in different areas of Karachi. It was revealed that Zahid and Ilyas were muggers who snatched mobile phones at gunpoint while Adil and Manzoor were experts in changing IMEI of snatched mobile phones.

The gang had succeeded in changing the IMEI of three of the 16 mobile phones. Adil and Manzoor were working on changing the IMEI of another four mobile phones.

The suspects revealed that they changed IMEI of mobile phones at a shop in Paposh Nagar named Central Mobile Shop.

They said they would put the IMEI of cheap and defective mobile phones in expensive mobile phones through a software.

The suspects also revealed that they used to unblock blocked mobile phones in the market and there were six to seven people in the market who did such work.

Cases have been registered against the arrested suspects and investigations are under way for the arrest of their accomplices.