More than 3,500 mobile phones have been seized by Delhi Police that were on sale without unique identity numbers. These mobile phones have been mainly imported from China. In the raids made by Delhi Police in the national capital about 23 shopkeepers were arrested who were selling such handsets.

A day before the Delhi Police also raided shops in Central Delhi. The government has banned from this month the use of such mobile phones which does not have the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.

Neeraj Thakur, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) said, “We have caught 23 people who were found selling sub-standard mobile phones without IMEI numbers and seized the phones alongwith a ‘Spiderman Software Box’ used for loading fake IMEI numbers on these sets.”

Over hundred civil dressed personnel conducted the raids at 23 shops in Ganpati Plaza in Saraswati Marg in Karol Bagh at around 4:30 pm yesterday. This raid was done following registration of a case by the Crime Branch based on a complaint that was received from the Indian Cellular Association (ICA).

Neeraj Thakur said, “We got a complaint that some people were involved in supplying counterfeit and sub-standard mobile phone handsets which do not have IMEI number. Yesterday, we conducted a series of raids in the electronics market,” Thakur said.

It is estimated that around 21 million such handsets are in circulation in the country. The calls made from or received on such handsets cannot be traced by security agencies.