BENGALURU: With the IT City recording the highest number of cybercrime cases, Bengaluru City Police are now using the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal to block SIM cards and track mobile phones used in fraudulent activities.
In all, 16,219 SIM cards and 15,000 mobile phones have been blocked in the past 10 months.
The CEIR portal is a service module offered by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to trace lost or stolen phones. Using this portal, users can immediately block their lost mobile phones by providing their IMEI numbers. The portal also helps in tracing those using the blocked phones.
The portal has become a critical tool in the cybercrime prevention strategy of the police. Through the portal, cyber cops can effectively render the devices inoperable.
Additional Commissioner of Police (East) Raman Gupta said with fraudsters using mobile phone technology to cheat people, cyber police have taken a proactive approach to combat such crimes by using the portal. They take up complaints registered through the ‘1930’ helpline number and those filed at cyber crime police stations in the city.
“We identify phone numbers that are repeatedly used to commit cyber crimes and block their SIM cards and devices,” he said.
‘15K devices blocked in 10 months’
“This not only prevents fraudsters from continuing their operations, but also helps police in tracking and apprehending them. The police action will make it difficult for fraudsters to operate anonymously,” Additional Commissioner of Police (East) Raman Gupta said.
“Of the 21,000 SIM cards used by fraudsters,16,219 have been successfully blocked in the past 10 months. We also blocked 15,000 devices during the period,” he said. Cyber police are currently blocking only Indian SIMs. Efforts are on to block VPN numbers. “Bengaluru is the leading city, among others, in using the CEIR portal to curb cyber-related offences and track lost mobile phones. Bengaluru City Police have taken all steps to combat cybercrimes in their jurisdiction,” he said.