Chennai: With greater telecom penetration, cases of missing mobile phones increased by 39 per cent last year in the city. Only 40 per cent of the instruments have been traced. This is due to lack of cooperation from mobile service operators (MSO) and owners to certain extent.
When R. Harish (name changed) lost his phone costing more than Rs 75,000, he was confident of retrieving it. However, the instrument was never traced. This is because the probability of getting back a phone reduces, if its cost exceeds Rs 30,0000, says a police officer.
He said high-end mobiles are often dismantled and sold. “As the sum obtained
after selling it in seconds is very low, the suspect makes profit by selling the spare parts. In such cases, the mobiles can never be traced,” the officer said.
Also, service providers’ indifference adds to the owners’ problems. “Constant checking of IMEI number is usually not done. A lot of backlog will be cleared if a separate department is set up by mobile service providers for the cause,” it is pointed out.
“Culprits are so shrewd that they switch off the stolen phone for more than three months, which adds to the delay in detection of the case. In such cases, blaming the police is unfair,” said sources.
As misplaced mobiles often land in unprofessional hands, police officers say they can be traced with less difficulty. “While the misplaced phones are traced within a month, more time is taken to trace a stolen phone as the culprit is mostly professional,” said another officer.
“Except for some Korean sets, changing the IMEI number is very difficult due to complex security elements,” a police official explained. “More than 50 per cent of stolen mobiles find their way to shops at Burma bazaar, Richie Street and Pallavaram Sandai (market).
Insuring a mobile phone, especially high-end ones will reduce the distress, said police officers. The fact that more than 90 per cent of missing mobiles are uninsured explains lack of awareness on the subject.
An insurance agent, G. Shiva, said an agent often pushes the customer for obtaining a mobile insurance policy. “The store officials often make a deal with the insurance while selling a phone. However, many tend to be disinterested,” he said.
“Though the insurance sum decreases during renewal, only 15 per cent of the insured renew their insurance periodically. Replacing a mobile at regular intervals is a reason for this,” said Shiva.
