Raids on retailers selling SIMs illegally | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Raids on retailers selling SIMs illegally

Many retailers were arrested and hundreds of SIMs being sold illegally seized during raids conducted by teams of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Saturday.

In third phase of drive against illegal sale of SIMs, the PTA teams along with the area police made raids in Mehmoodabad, surrounding markets of Cantonment Railway Station, Akhtar Colony, Manzoor Colony, Old Numaish, Patel Para, Soldier Bazaar, Garden and Sindhi Muslim Society.

They arrested many shopkeepers and recovered hundreds of SIMs of different companies being sold without following laid down procedure, a PTA statement said.

PTA Director (Sindh Zone), Rizwan Haider, said successful raids were made with special help of home secretary and DIG police.

PTA through advertisements had repeatedly warned those involved in illegal sale of SIMs, not to sell them to any customer without having proper identification and having given authority.

The director described it is PTA’s policy that SIMs can only be sold through sales centre, franchiser or authorised dealers of concerned company. It is mandatory to witness original identity card of customer, collect its photostat copy and fill up his bio-data in sale examination form.

He said selling any SIM sans complete bio-data of customer was a crime, adding warned PTA reserved right to take action, if the same was proved.
Source: The News
Date:6/22/2008