Mysuru: Even as the Department of Telecommunications is planning to notify rules that will make tampering of IMEI number a punishable offence with up to three years imprisonment, the City Police have yesterday busted a gang that is involved in altering the IMEI numbers of mobile phone handsets.
International Mobile-Station Equipment Identity (IMEI) is a unique 15-digit code used to identify valid mobile devices. It is often used for stopping a stolen phone from accessing a mobile network and later tracking it down. It helps security agencies in tracking mobile phones as well as calls made from them. However, due to diverse software in the market, changing the IMEI number of stolen handsets for reuse is rampant.
