In a joint operation, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Zonal Office in Lahore and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Gujranwala carried out two successful raids in Sialkot, targeting the illegal sale of tampered and cloned mobile phones.

The first raid was conducted at Electro Mart in Allama Iqbal Chowk, where authorities confiscated a mobile phone with a tampered IMEI and arrested the shop owner. In the second raid at Rehman Mobile Centre, also in Allama Iqbal Chowk, four mobile phones with altered IMEIs were seized, and the owner was taken into custody.

The recovered phones included various Google Pixel models that had been reprogrammed to mimic cheaper devices. FIRs have been lodged, and investigations are currently underway.

READ MORE:

Air India Flight AI171 Crash Claims 242 Lives Near Ahmedabad

PTA emphasized its zero-tolerance stance against the illegal alteration of mobile device identifiers. It warned that IMEI tampering poses significant threats to public safety and national security by enabling criminal anonymity, cybercrime, financial fraud, and other illegal activities.

The authority urged the public to remain alert and report any suspicious activities involving phone cloning or IMEI tampering. It added that regulatory enforcement will be intensified, and violators will face strict legal action.