Cyber Police track phone IMEI to make arrests
By Nitin Paul

Drawing a clue from the unique 15-digit IMEI number of a stolen cell phone, the Cyber Crime wing of Gurgaon police has nabbed 2 cabbies who had robbed an executive last month in Gurgaon. These robbers had snatched his debit and credit (ATM) cards as well as his cell phone on January 15 when he was on his way back home. The duo had offered the executive a lift in their cab.

The International Mobile Equipment Identity or IMEI is a unique number hard wired in most mobile and satellite phones. Every phone company in India has the ability to track, and if necessary block, any phone via its IMEI code.

Identified as Amit Singh and Hamid, the criminals had withdrawn Rs. 59,000 from his account using the ATM cards before he could reach the bank to cancel his cards. They made the mistake of using his cell phone also - a Nokia 1208 – which proved their undoing.

The robbers had been using their own Sim card as they had returned the executive’s Sim card after robbing him.  The case was handed over to the Cyber Crime wing as there was a possibility of the robbers using the cell phone they had snatched from the executive KJ Joseph. He furnished the 15-digit IMEI number of his cell phone to the police officials who put the same under observation with the help of the Cellphone service provider. The cops traced a cell phone number which was using the cell phone of same IMEI number and zeroed in on the two robbers in Dwarka in Delhi.

After their arrest, the criminals told the police that they had been living in a rented apartment at Delhi-Gurgaon border.  Joseph, a Delhi-based executive, who had lost his job about seven months back, suffered the horrific experience when he was on his way to collect the balance salary from his company. At 10.45 am on January 15, he got into a cab at the busy Iffco Chowk, on Gurgaon expressway, but was assaulted black and blue, robbed off his ATMs cards, cash and other valuables before being dumped gagged at a lonely place in Manesar, 20 kms away from where he was to get down. The miscreants then withdrew Rs. 59,000 from his account using his ATM cards before he could reach the bank to block their unauthorised usage.  

A resident of Janakpuri, the 43-year old Joseph who worked with a private company as an Accounts Officer, but had lost his job due to absenteeism at work for the treatment of his wife who had lost both of her kidneys and being treated for kidney transplantation surgery. Even his wife has been jobless since August last year and the couple has no alternate source of income. Over and above this, the miscreants robbed him of whatever he was left with.

On February 18, a call from police officials brought some respite to Joseph who was told that two robbers had been arrested and Rs. 21,000 were recovered from them.