Islamabad police have launched a citywide crackdown targeting criminal networks that alter IMEI numbers on stolen mobile phones, as authorities move to curb rising theft and street crime across the capital.
Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Bilal Siddique Kamyana issued the directive during a meeting convened to review measures against organised theft gangs and to strengthen surveillance at known crime hotspots.
Every mobile phone carries a unique 15-digit International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number that serves as its permanent digital fingerprint, remaining unchanged even when a SIM card is swapped or the device is reset. Criminal networks alter these numbers to disguise stolen phones and resell them, making the numbers a key target of the new crackdown.
Participants at the meeting discussed geofencing theft-prone areas and expanding surveillance coverage in these locations. They also reviewed how human intelligence and modern technology could be better combined to prevent and detect theft cases.
Officials agreed to deploy additional personnel at identified hotspots, step up patrolling, and carry out plainclothes decoy operations to catch offenders in the act.
The CCPO directed police to arrest individuals involved in pickpocketing and mobile phone theft and ensure they are brought to justice. He ordered heightened surveillance of pickpockets in crowded markets, public gatherings, and on public transport to protect citizens moving through these spaces.
Officers were also instructed to trace criminal networks by backtracking recovered mobile phones to their point of theft or sale. The CCPO called for strict verification of identification documents and transaction records at the point of mobile phone sale, along with firm action against those involved in the illegal trade of stolen phones and their spare parts.
