Making an impression: Four imposters make hay while the sun shines

In the guise of NGO workers, the men took fingerprints for SIMs

PESHAWAR:

With the sun shining down on them, four people reached Ghalji Kander Khel village, on the outskirts of the city. They met the local nazim, stating they were employees of a local non-government organisation. Their aim, apparently, was to register widows and the underprivileged to facilitate them better.

Authorities made announcements at mosques and dozens of people, who felt they needed help, reached the spot soon after.

The men from the NGO, for all intents and purposes, seemed completely legitimate.

Without wasting a moment, they took fingerprints and around 100 women had ‘registered’ just before a local town council member suggested all four figures were imposters.

He hurried over to inform the police, but the men were quicker; they got away, fingerprints in hand. Mathra police lodged a roznamcha report and started investigation.

Later a local jirga, led by a mufti, ‘settled’ the matter.

Under the National Action Plan (NAP), the government has taken the much needed decision to verify all SIMs with fingerprints to remove the possibility of misuse by criminals and terrorists. Previously, telecom companies issued activated SIMs to everyone. Registration was required, but SIMs were often registered on other names and made easily available. The demand for the pre-activated cards still exists.

“We have information that terrorists and extortionists are willing to offer as much as Rs15,000 to Rs20,000 for such SIMs which are registered on somebody else’s name,” a police official told The Express Tribune.

“The use of local SIMs in crimes and terrorism has dwindled, but they are still used,” the officer said.

“Most of the time, the [SIM] turns out to be issued on the name of a drug addict or a woman; PCO [public call office] owners are responsible for selling these SIMs by taking fingerprints on portable devices provided by telecom companies,” he said.

When contacted, Ghalji Kander Khel village councillor Hidayat said such incidents take place in his area, but are caught in the nick of time.

Mathra DSP Sahibzada Sajjad said the matter was under investigation. “These councillors are divided among themselves and some claim it was fraud and others tell a different tale. We have to investigate thoroughly,” he concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2016.