Phones snatched in Bangladesh trafficked to ‘India, Nepal and Myanmar’

Phone seizure in Chattogram leads police to ring spanning Rohingya camps and borders

The Detective Branch (DB) of police has discovered that a portion of snatched and stolen mobile phones in Bangladesh are trafficked to neighbouring countries after having their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers altered.

The information came to light after police arrested five men with a large cache of mobile phones in Chattogram on Thursday night.

Police disclosed the findings on Friday after seizing 342 mobile phones of different brands, six laptops and a stash of cash from a flat in Harish Dutta Lane under Kotwali Police Station.

The arrestees have been identified as Md Tanvir Hasnain, 32, Sohel Uddin, 32, Md Rubel alias Chakma Rubel, 36, Md Mohammad Hossain, 22, and Abdullah Al Mamun, 27.

Among them, Rubel is a known mugger, according to police.

Deputy Commissioner (West) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police Detective Branch Mohammad Mahbub Alam Khan told bdnews24.com that the recovered mobile sets were snatched or stolen from different parts of the city.

“The flat was rented specifically for changing the IMEI numbers and carrying out minor repairs,” he said.

“In primary interrogation, the arrestees said the IMEI numbers are changed, small fixes are done, and the phones are repackaged before being sent out.

“The phones are then trafficked to several districts, Rohingya camps, and a portion even ends up in neighbouring Myanmar, India and Nepal,” the officer added.