Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested 20 members of four separate gangs that have been selling stolen mobile phones and illegally changing International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers for almost five years.
They were arrested from Dhaka's Gulistan, Shanir Akhra, Mohammadpur, Khilgaon and Narayanganj’s Sonargaon areas on Monday, RAB Legal and Media Wing Director Khandakar Al Moin told a press briefing on Tuesday.
The IMEI number is most important to law enforcement agencies in locating stolen mobile phones. But these gangs change the IMEI number in three to seven seconds, he said.
Moin said that many gangs are now active in buying and selling illegal mobile phones before Eid-ul-Fitr. They have been involved in smuggling such phones in different parts of the capital for five to six years. They are the masters of mobile theft, hacking and changing IMEIs.
Multiple RAB teams carried out raids in different areas of Dhaka city and outside the capital and arrested the 20 men, he said.
As many as 542 smartphones, 341 button mobiles, a large quantity of fake IMEI stickers, one heat gun, an electronic sensor device, various tools used for changing IMEI, six knives used for mugging/robbery, one laptop, one LCD monitor and Tk 11,600 cash were recovered from them, he said.
Moin said that these gangs also change the case and display of the mobile phones apart from changing the IMEI number. So far they have sold over 20,000 mobile by changing IMEI numbers.
He also said that depending on the brand and quality, the price of these phones starts from Tk 500 to Tk 20,000. They sell good quality mobiles in mobile repair shops and others in front of different markets.
