Drive on against illegal SIM cards

SHILLONG: Police conducted raids on the shops selling black SIM cards at Mawkyrwat area and detected fourteen numbers of Airtel SIM cards from the shop of a person identified as one Shemborlin Khardewsaw.
The black SIM cards were seized and the shop owner was arrested and taken into police custody.
Earlier, police held a meeting with nodal sales officers of private mobile service providers including Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance, Idea and Aircel at the SP’s Office to take stock of illegal sale of SIM Cards in the black market which has helped to facilitate several crimes like criminal intimidation, extortion, unsolicited calls and SMSes to women and kidnapping causing inconvenience and anxiety to the public at large.
Police has directed that all new SIM Card subscribers should be physically verified by the retailer and photograph submitted by the applicant should match the subscriber who appears in person.
Taking cognizance of the use of unauthorized SIM cards of various mobile service providers by militant outfits, the Police department is now giving special attention to the ‘mobile menace’ and is conducting drives across the state.