The Barabanki police in Uttar Pradesh have smashed a gang of criminals from Nagpur which allegedly sold mobile phones without International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers.
Senior officials said though no mobile phone can connect to any cellular network if it does not have an IMEI number, the seized mobile handsets had proper connectivity.
"Such phones may pose a threat to the country's security and we have decided to inform the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) about the seizure for a detailed probe," said a senior police official.
The police arrested three people -- Devraj Anand, Rameshwar Taywade and Radheyshyam Rao -- after they were tipped off that a person from Maharashtra was allegedly selling mobile phones to the villagers in Barabanki.
Barabanki Superintendent of Police (SP), Arvind Chaturvedi, said a police team had arrested the gang members and found that mobile phones were being sold by them without having IMEI numbers.
"At least 52 mobile phones without IMEI numbers, Rs 35,000 cash and a car bearing a Nagpur registration number plate worth Rs 12 lakh, were seized from the accused trio," he added.
The SP said the Central government had released a circular in 2012, saying that no mobile handset without an IMEI number would operate on any mobile network in India.
The accused trio told the police that they had purchased such mobile phones from grey markets in Mumbai.
"The gang has been operating for the last three years. They purchased phones without IMEI numbers and used the bodies of branded phones costing them between Rs 300 to Rs 500, disguising them as original. They pasted stickers bearing fake IMEI numbers on the handsets. The gang sold these phones at Rs 10,000 per handset claiming them to be original," Chaturvedi said.
"We are informing the IB and RAW about such malpractice as it may pose a threat to national security. If a phone is without an IMEI number, it cannot be traced and call details cannot be procured. The Central agencies will probe how cellular networks were running on such handsets," the SP added.