DB busts IMEI-altering mobile phone syndicate in Gulistan

The Detective Branch's Cyber and Special Crime (South) Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police has busted a mobile phone syndicate involved in altering International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers and reselling stolen devices.

The DB also arrested a suspected ringleader of the syndicate on Saturday evening around 7pm from a shop near the gate of the Gulistan underground market, Deputy Commissioner (DB-Cyber North) Hasan Mohammad Naser Rikabdar said at a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre yesterday.

The arrestee, Md Asaduzzaman, 38, worked at the shop, he said.

During the raid, the DB recovered two software tools used to change IMEI numbers, two laptops, equipment, 16 mobile phones and Tk5,590 in cash. The estimated market value of the recovered phones and equipment is about Tk4 lakh.

Rikabdar said stolen and snatched mobile phones from Dhaka and other parts of the country were being taken to Gulistan, where their IMEI numbers were changed before being resold in Dhaka and nearby areas.

"The DB received intelligence that a group was collecting stolen phones from a shop near the Gulistan Shopping Complex's underground market and altering the IMEI numbers before selling the devices," he said.

Based on the information, a raid was carried out and Asaduzzaman was arrested, he added.

According to preliminary interrogation, Asaduzzaman and his absconding associate Rajan Sheikh were operating the IMEI-changing racket.

The syndicate has around 10–12 members who collect phones stolen or snatched from the streets and hand them over to the two. The phones are then resold after the IMEI numbers are changed.

A case has been filed against Asaduzzaman with Paltan Police Station, the DB official said.

The deputy commissioner added that they found two software tools capable of altering IMEI numbers using data cables, calling the practice "highly concerning".

Preliminary investigations have also identified at least eight to 10 other shops involved in similar activities. As the shops were closed, immediate raids were not possible, but preparations are underway for wider operations, he said.

Responding to a query about Gulistan-based stolen phone syndicates, the DB official said several phones recovered from pavements during law enforcement operations over the past month showed IMEI inconsistencies.

"Once an IMEI number is changed, the original owner can no longer identify the phone, allowing criminals to sell and use the devices without detection," he said.