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| Same number SIMs issued to different subscribers | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
SRINAGAR, Mar 12: Even as the November 1 ban on prepaid mobile connections due to security reasons was lifted on January 21 after a "foolproof" plan was put in place, a more hazardous development has taken place now.
SIMs of same number have found their way in the market.This was a blunder on the part of a telecom service provider and could pose a major security risk, CID nodal officer, SSP Israr Khan said.
Police were investigating complaints by local operators and customers against a telecom service provider accusing it of issuing duplicate SIMs for prepaid connections, he added.He said police had taken the issue seriously as in some recent cases SIMs were issued under the names of dead persons which later landed in the hands of militants.
Describing the issue of selling pre-activated or duplicate SIMs to subscribers as a "major security risk", Khan said they would raise the issue with telecom companies at a meeting soon.
"We have received many complaints of that sort. We have shot letters to telecom companies to discuss the issue in a meeting which will be held in coming days," he added.
The SSP said it seemed as if the companies were "careless" in not following the proper verification procedure."During the meeting, we will ask them to follow a proper code. It is because of the faulty verification that two SIMs of same numbers are being issued to different people. Hence SIMs are being misused," Khan said.
According to a franchisee for the telecom operator, Firdous Ahmad Bhat, around eight customers complained that the SIMs issued in their names were already being used by others.Officials of the company, however, refused to comment on the issue.
Bhat said some subscribers complained that when a call was made on their cellphone, the interactive voice recorder says: "The subscriber is currently switched off; please dial after sometime."
He said when he went to the company's office at Srinagar, he was shocked to know that all pre-paid SIMs were already operational.If these SIMs were misused, who would guarantee the security of
subscribers, he added.
The Centre had imposed a ban on prepaid connections in the state on November 1 last year in view of security concerns, affecting 38 lakh subscribers in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the ban was lifted on
January 21 after finalising a foolproof plan to ensure proper verification of subscribers in the state.
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