Fake IMEIs for sale

Hordes of anxious mobile phone users thronged Jagadish Market on Tuesday after service to mobile phones with fake IMEI numbers was retracted. Most of those affected were the owners of rip-off Chinese handsets. They rushed to the city’s flourishing cell-phone grey market worried that their instrument would be redundant.
“I got an SMS in the morning informing that services have been cut off from my phone as the handset did not have a valid IMEI number,” says Rafiq, who rushed to Jagadish market with his Chinese phone.
Happily for them though, shop owners directed their worried customers to the ‘IMEI register-wallahs’ who hung “booking full” boards outside their shops after spending the first half of Tuesday morning “selling” new IMEI numbers. “We charge Rs 200 for single sim and Rs 400 for dual sim IMEI registration. Also, a photocopy of a valid ID proof like driving license or ration card must be furnished for registration,” said a man issuing registrations. he had to reassure the throngs outside that “Owing to the tremendous rush, registration will be done tomorrow if you pay today.”
Worried mobile users made frantic calls to customer care cells of their service providers, but they were clueless. Some were informed that users whose connections were terminated could get an ‘IMEI implant’ from Genuine Service Providers (GSPs) who purchased IMEI numbers from Mobile Standards Alliance of India (MSAI).
A spokesperson of a prominent service provider, revealed on condition of anonymity, “MSAI has allocated GSPs across the country and they can implant these IMEI numbers by charging a nominal fee from customers. The option of buying IMEI numbers from MSAI by GSPs is presently unavailable, so there are only limited IMEI numbers for sale right now.”
the MSAI officials however have a different story. They clarify that the IMEIs sold now will not function.
“Nobody can implant genuine IMEI numbers currently as the GII programme is closed under the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) orders. The IMEI numbers sold to GSPs or those who procured them in the grey market cannot use them as they will show an error as they are invalid now,” says Bhawna, an official from MSAI.
Cops admit that they have no clue about this technical mumbo-jumbo and are ignorant of the illegal IMEI registration going on in Jagadish Market. but they are prompt when it comes to promising action. P. Hari Kumar, DCP, Central Zone, says, “We will look into the matter and take appropriate action.”