Whiz-kid uses software skills to reformat stolen cell phones

KARACHI:

A young information technology expert ended up as an evil genius using his software skills to unlock and reformat and sell stolen mobile phones.

Rangers hauled the well-educated suspect from the poverty-hit area of Orangi Town, the country's largest slum. "In a joint intelligence-based operation, the Pakistan Rangers Sindh and police arrested a suspect involved in tampering with stolen mobiles from the Orangi Town area of Karachi," said a statement issued by the Rangers spokesperson.

Rangers recovered 13 stolen mobile phones and two laptops from the accused. During interrogation, the detained suspect disclosed that he was in the business of buying stolen and snatched mobile phones since 2016.

The youth said that he would overwrite the IMEI number and update software of the mobile phones and sell the expensive handsets to various vendors in the mobile market of Sector 5, Orangi Town.

The accused was tampering with the IMEI number through various software programmes on his laptops. He also said that he used to charge Rs2,500 for reformatting and tampering IMEI numbers of snatched and stolen phones people would bring to him. Rangers handed over the arrested accused and the recovered mobile phones and laptops to the police for further legal action.