Fake identity: Three arrested for selling illegal SIMs

FIA seized 1,500 illegal SIMs, 17 voter lists and three computers from a mobile phone company franchise.

FAISALABAD:

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested three people and seized 1,500 illegal subscriber identification modules (SIMs), 17 voter lists and three computers from a mobile phone company franchise in the Saddar police area.

Police spokesman Aamir Waheed told the media on Friday that an FIA team had raided the franchise in Dhuddiwala. “The team arrested Abid Lateef, Fahad and Ahmad Raza, who worked at the franchise. They are now trying to arrest Zahid Lateef, the owner,” he said. He said that the men were suspected of activating SIMs illegally. Such SIMs could be used for terrorist and criminal activities, he said. “They have been taken for interrogation”, he added. Waheed said that the FIA team had seized 8,500 SIMs, 300 copies of CNICs and voter lists of Iqbal Town, Toba Tek Singh and Layyah from a franchise employee, Talib Hussain’s house in D-Type Colony a week ago. “Hussain, Tauseef and the franchise owner, Ghulam Mustafa, were arrested for activating SIMs against CNICs of people other than those the SIMs were issued to. The case is still being investigated,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2013.