Two held by Mumbai Crime Branch for altering phone IMEI numbers

Mumbai, Sep 19 ( PTI) Two persons were arrested for allegedly altering the IMEI number of stolen mobile phones for resale, a Mumbai Crime Branch official said on Friday.

The International Mobile Equipment Identity is a unique 15-digit number to identify a cellphone and its tampering makes recovery of stolen phones difficult.

"Based on a tip off, the Chembur unit of the Crime Branch sent a decoy to a mobile phone service centre in Tunga village in Powai. The accused told the decoy that they changed the IMEI number using Google Chrome's 'Unlock Tool' feature. Following this, the owner and employee of the centre were arrested," he said.

"During the probe it came to light that the accused had altered devices that included stolen ones. A case was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Information Technology Act. Further probe in the case is underway," the official added. PTI DC BNM