Md Joynal Abedin Khan :
A huge number of SIM (subscriber identity module) cards of different mobile phone operator companies, now active in the country by using fake information for registration, may cause a serious threat to genuine subscribers.
Even such as SIM cards (pre-activated) with biometric details are reportedly being sold in capital Dhaka and other parts the country by neglecting the government’s recent ultimatum of stern action against the offenders.
These cards may cause of harassment or threat to the genuine owners in anytime for using in different types of crimes by the organized gangs though the customers have no idea about the registration of their SIMs by using their information.
According to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regularity Commission (BTRC), there are 13.13 crore active mobile phone subscribers in the country. And the regulator has collected details of the SIM retailers and others linked to the biometric registration process.
Of the total 13.26 crore active connections, 11.5 crore were re-registered, claimed senior executives of different mobile phone operators.
Meanwhile, some unscrupulous officials of mobile phone operators and their retail agents have already registered thousands of SIM cards by using information of many people during biometric registration and verification, claimed BTRC official sources.
A number of various organized gang have already sold several million pre-activate SIM cards
in high rate and they have stocked many SIM cards for earning huge money, they said.
The SIM card forgery-gang has many teams in the capital and other cities and districts across the country, they added.
In the meantime, members of law enforcing agencies have seized more than three lakh fake SIM cards and arrested many people in this connection.
Hafiz Uddin, a city dweller, expressed concern that the main goal of biometric registration of SIM cards would go in vain if the sale of such SIM cards was not stopped.
“It’s a dangerous issue. Terrorists and criminal will push innocent people to danger taking the chance,” he said.
“I bought a pre-activated SIM card for Tk 300 instead of maximum fixed Tk 180,” said Mina Rani in the city’s Dhupkhola area.
Dilruba Akter, a former student of Dhaka University, found that eight SIMs were registered under her name with Robi and three more with Airtel. She herself just registered one SIM each with the two operators.
“I am confused and am feeling vulnerable. I don’t know the numbers that are registered under my name,” she said.
Jahanur Rahman Shantu, a student of Jagannath University, said he had registered two Airtel numbers, but on July 2 he got a text message from the operator saying he has four SIM cards under his name.
“This is a hassle for me. And both the government and the operator are responsible for this, as SIMs were registered without proper authentication,” he said.
“We don’t know the persons whose voter ID cards and fingerprints were used,” Mizan Uddin, a SIM seller in city’s Gandaria area told The New Nation on Monday.
On September 22 last year, around 14,000 SIMs purchased against a ‘fake’ National Identification (NID) card were detected during the ongoing verification process for SIM card registrations.
It is to be mentioned that the biometric SIM verification had been completed on May 31 this year which was began on December 16 last year.
To stop the pre-active SIM, in 2012, the telecom regulator directed the operators to activate SIM within 72 hours of its sell after verifying the buyers’ information. “If the operators fail to comply with the order, they have to pay a fine of $50 for each case,” added the directive.
On July 25, the Detective Branch (DB) of Police seized nearly 4,000 illegally registered SIMs, which were being sold in the market, and arrested seven people for their alleged involvement from Chittagong city.
Earlier on June 23, police seized around one lakh illegal SIM cards of mobile phone operator Airtel with false biometric and owner information.
On June 29, police seized about 100,000 illegally registered mobile SIMs, which were being sold in the market from the city’s Tejgaon area. The seized SIMs were registered illegally using National Identity Card information of different people without their knowledge or permission.
Police also arrested 22 people, including Airtel’s territorial distribution managers Shafiqul Islam, Momin Miah and Md Wahid, from the capital in this connection.
Cautioning the operators for the pre-activated SIMs, State Minister for Post and Telecommunications Tarana Halim said, “We are going to instruct the telecom regulator to ‘fine $50 for each pre-activated SIM.”
“We would deactivate the SIMs if we find something is wrong there,” the minister said.
BTRC Chairman Shajahan Mahmud said, “We will take action against the alleged mobile pone operators. We shall hold a director-level meeting to finalise the next step.”
A huge number of SIM (subscriber identity module) cards of different mobile phone operator companies, now active in the country by using fake information for registration, may cause a serious threat to genuine subscribers.
Even such as SIM cards (pre-activated) with biometric details are reportedly being sold in capital Dhaka and other parts the country by neglecting the government’s recent ultimatum of stern action against the offenders.
These cards may cause of harassment or threat to the genuine owners in anytime for using in different types of crimes by the organized gangs though the customers have no idea about the registration of their SIMs by using their information.
According to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regularity Commission (BTRC), there are 13.13 crore active mobile phone subscribers in the country. And the regulator has collected details of the SIM retailers and others linked to the biometric registration process.
Of the total 13.26 crore active connections, 11.5 crore were re-registered, claimed senior executives of different mobile phone operators.
Meanwhile, some unscrupulous officials of mobile phone operators and their retail agents have already registered thousands of SIM cards by using information of many people during biometric registration and verification, claimed BTRC official sources.
A number of various organized gang have already sold several million pre-activate SIM cards
in high rate and they have stocked many SIM cards for earning huge money, they said.
The SIM card forgery-gang has many teams in the capital and other cities and districts across the country, they added.
In the meantime, members of law enforcing agencies have seized more than three lakh fake SIM cards and arrested many people in this connection.
Hafiz Uddin, a city dweller, expressed concern that the main goal of biometric registration of SIM cards would go in vain if the sale of such SIM cards was not stopped.
“It’s a dangerous issue. Terrorists and criminal will push innocent people to danger taking the chance,” he said.
“I bought a pre-activated SIM card for Tk 300 instead of maximum fixed Tk 180,” said Mina Rani in the city’s Dhupkhola area.
Dilruba Akter, a former student of Dhaka University, found that eight SIMs were registered under her name with Robi and three more with Airtel. She herself just registered one SIM each with the two operators.
“I am confused and am feeling vulnerable. I don’t know the numbers that are registered under my name,” she said.
Jahanur Rahman Shantu, a student of Jagannath University, said he had registered two Airtel numbers, but on July 2 he got a text message from the operator saying he has four SIM cards under his name.
“This is a hassle for me. And both the government and the operator are responsible for this, as SIMs were registered without proper authentication,” he said.
“We don’t know the persons whose voter ID cards and fingerprints were used,” Mizan Uddin, a SIM seller in city’s Gandaria area told The New Nation on Monday.
On September 22 last year, around 14,000 SIMs purchased against a ‘fake’ National Identification (NID) card were detected during the ongoing verification process for SIM card registrations.
It is to be mentioned that the biometric SIM verification had been completed on May 31 this year which was began on December 16 last year.
To stop the pre-active SIM, in 2012, the telecom regulator directed the operators to activate SIM within 72 hours of its sell after verifying the buyers’ information. “If the operators fail to comply with the order, they have to pay a fine of $50 for each case,” added the directive.
On July 25, the Detective Branch (DB) of Police seized nearly 4,000 illegally registered SIMs, which were being sold in the market, and arrested seven people for their alleged involvement from Chittagong city.
Earlier on June 23, police seized around one lakh illegal SIM cards of mobile phone operator Airtel with false biometric and owner information.
On June 29, police seized about 100,000 illegally registered mobile SIMs, which were being sold in the market from the city’s Tejgaon area. The seized SIMs were registered illegally using National Identity Card information of different people without their knowledge or permission.
Police also arrested 22 people, including Airtel’s territorial distribution managers Shafiqul Islam, Momin Miah and Md Wahid, from the capital in this connection.
Cautioning the operators for the pre-activated SIMs, State Minister for Post and Telecommunications Tarana Halim said, “We are going to instruct the telecom regulator to ‘fine $50 for each pre-activated SIM.”
“We would deactivate the SIMs if we find something is wrong there,” the minister said.
BTRC Chairman Shajahan Mahmud said, “We will take action against the alleged mobile pone operators. We shall hold a director-level meeting to finalise the next step.”
