The police have successfully nabbed three retailers of different mobile network companies on the charge of selling SIM cards without procuring identity proofs from the customers.
The police recovered 56 SIM cards and a number of fake documents on which the SIM cards were issued. These SIM cards are of Reliance, Vodafone, Airtel, Tata Docomo and Virgin mobile companies. While speaking to the media persons, Superintendent of Police Bhopal (South) Anshuman Singh told that the SIM cards were activated using Identity proof of others.
These kinds of lapses from the telecom companies, distributors and retailers poses a big threat to the security and provides a tool in the hands of anti-social elements, he added. Singh told that the investigation is on and in case it is found that the activation norms of providing SIM cards were not followed by the telecom companies, the department will be issuing notices to these companies.
The Station House Officer of Ratibad police station Riyaz Iqbal told that the main accused Sunil Maran was nabbed after a Ratibad resident Vishal Navle who hails form Maharashtra was questioned about his SIM card. Vishal was not able to provide any identity proof and was using a smart phone which raised suspicion and when questioned he told that he had bought the SIM card from Sunil without providing any identity documents.
After which Sunil Maran (24), Jitendra Sharma (23) and Manish Sharma (24) were nabbed when police raided two shops and obtained 31 SIM cards from Nikhil Music center and Mobile Shop while 25 SIM cards were recovered from lucky Internet and Mobile Shop, he added.
He told that most of the application forms were without signature of the applicants and few of the ID proof are of people from other parts of the State which are going to be investigated. The ID proofs are used by the accused without informing them or they are involved in this illegal SIM card allotment is matter of investigation.