📢 Citizens Cautioned—Telecom crimes invite ₹50 lakh fine, 3-year jail term
New Delhi, September 21: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has warned citizens to be vigilant, calling fraudulent issuance of SIM cards, misuse of telecom identifiers, and tampering with mobile phone IMEI numbers serious crimes. The department said on Monday that such cases carry a penalty of up to three years in jail and a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh.
According to the Ministry of Telecommunications, a case has come to light in Chhattisgarh where a Point of Sale (POS) agent misused people’s identity documents and activated 25 mobile connections without their knowledge or consent. Following an investigation, the concerned POS agent was blacklisted. Suspicious mobile connections were verified, and numbers that failed verification were disconnected.
The department stated that under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, obtaining a SIM card using forged documents, giving or leasing a SIM card issued in one’s name to another person, tampering with the Calling Line Identity (CLI), and changing the IMEI number are punishable offenses.
The DoT urged citizens to regularly check mobile numbers issued in their names and take immediate action if any unauthorized SIM cards are activated. The Sanchar Sathi portal and mobile app can be used for this purpose.
According to the department, through Sanchar Sathi, citizens can access information about all mobile connections issued in their names and request the deactivation of unnecessary or suspicious numbers. The portal also provides a facility to verify the IMEI of a mobile handset. This information can be used to verify the brand, model, and manufacturer of the mobile phone.
