Five arrested in Chattogram for repackaging stolen phones with altered IMEI

Detectives have raided a mobile phone theft and resale syndicate and arrested five people in Chattogram's Kotwali area.

A team of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) also recovered 342 stolen mobile phones of various brands, six laptops, and a large amount of cash during the raid on Thursday night at a residence on Harish Dutta Lane in Nandan Kanon, under Kotwali Police Station, CMP said at a press briefing yesterday.

The gang allegedly altered IMEI numbers, refurbished the stolen devices, and distributed them across the country and even to neighbouring nations, the release said.

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

Confirming the matter, Deputy Commissioner (West) of the Detective Branch Mohammad Mahbub Alam Khan said during preliminary interrogation the suspects confessed that they had altered the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) numbers of stolen phones and performed minor repairs before repackaging them as new.

These refurbished phones were then sent to various districts and Rohingya refugee camps. A portion of the stolen and snatched mobile phones also ended up in neighbouring countries including Myanmar, India, and Nepal.

The seized phones were stolen or snatched from different areas of Chattogram city. The apartment used for IMEI tampering and repair work had been rented specifically for this illegal operation, the press release said.

He added that the syndicate had connections across various areas and sold the stolen phones wherever they could turn a profit.