Last week, the Ernakulam Rural police arrested 48-year-old Reqeeb Muhammad, who runs a mobile phone and telecom retail store in Perumbavoor, for selling SIM cards procured using fake documents.
On a tip-off, a police team from Perumbavoor raided Muhammad’s shop five days ago and recovered 34 pre-activated SIM cards, in addition to copies of various identity proofs. During interrogation, Muhammad confessed to obtaining at least five SIM cards using a single ID proof and selling them at a higher price to customers, mostly migrant labourers.
According to the police, several such shops in and around Perumbavoor are run by inter-State labourers and they provide SIM cards in violation of rules. Over the past six months, the police busted four rackets, two of them run by inter-State migrants, operating in the region.
Nexus
The racketeers use two methods to obtain the cards – using false documents or by giving out copies of genuine documents procured from local customers earlier.
A preliminary investigation by the police has pointed to a nexus between retailers and telecom company executives.
“It is not possible to issue pre-activated SIM cards if telecom operators do a proper verification. The SIM cards cannot be activated till details of customers are available in the central data base of the concerned service provider. The menace can be checked only if accountability is pinned on the companies as well,” said K.S. Sudarshan, Deputy Police Superintendent, Perumbavoor.
Criminal activities
The proliferation of such rackets in Ernakulam Rural region is attributed chiefly to the lack of proper identity documents among migrant workers settled in the region. It also raises the risk of criminal forces cashing in on the situation, as in the case of Jitendra Oraon, the leader of Jharkhand-based People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA). While living in disguise as a migrant labourer in Angamaly, the top Maoist leader procured about eight SIM cards using fake IDs. Investigations later revealed that a majority of the cards were then taken to Jharkhand for operations of the banned outfit.
A top police officer said the department had directed shop owners to verify original documents before issuing a SIM, in addition to furnishing a copy of the documents for verification at the police station. “But these norms are hardly followed,” he said.
