The Detective Branch (DB) has arrested a man for the involvement in International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers altering racket from the capital’s Gulistan area.
The arrestee, identified as Md Asaduzzaman, 38, was apprehended around 7:10pm on Saturday, during a raid conducted by the Web Based Crime Investigation Team of the DB-Cyber and Special Crime (South) Division.
Acting on a tip-off, the police team targeted a location near a gate of the Gulistan Shopping Complex Underground Patal Market in the Paltan area, where the group was reportedly processing stolen devices.
During the operation, officials seized IMEI alteration software, two laptops, various equipment, 16 mobile phones, and Tk5,590. The estimated market value of the recovered stolen phones and equipment is around Tk4 lakh.
During interrogation, Asaduzzaman admitted that he and his fugitive associate, Rajon Sheikh, are the masterminds of the operation.
The gang consists of 10 to 12 members who procure mobile phones through theft, snatching, and robbery before handing them over to Asaduzzaman and Rajon.
Once the IMEI numbers are changed using specialised software to bypass security tracking, the phones are sold secretly within Dhaka city and its surrounding areas.
A case has been registered against the arrestee at Paltan Model Police Station, and legal proceedings are currently underway.
