Mobile Thefts and Selling as Second Hand Mobile Phones

Mobile Thefts and Selling as Second Hand Mobile Phones

Lahore: The undeterred and increasing incidence of mobile phone thefts in Pakistan has forced the country’s federal government to launch the “Equipment Identity Registration System”, which stops mobile simcards from functioning in stolen mobile phones.
Pakistan Information Technology Minister Awais Leghari said that mobile phone number portability had heightened competition among companies and that they were taking measures to provide improved services to consumers, the Daily Times reported.
He said the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority was protecting telecom subscribers’ rights and monitoring mobile phone companies’ performance.
According to official figures, around 100 mobile phones go missing everyday in the port city of Karachi alone. The costly mobile phones are subsequently sold in the second hand markets, even as the mobile thieves operate in well-knit rackets. They steal mobile phones depending on the demand from foreign customers, including those in the UK and other European countries.