LAHORE: The business of smuggled, non-registered and PTA-blocked mobile phones is on its peak in the provincial capital, as the government departments concerned look the other way, Pakistan Today has observed.
These mobile phones are available at Hall Road, Wahdat Road, Model Town, Shalimar Link Road, Hafeez Center, Township and many other mobile markets whereas such phones are also being sold online on different websites, including OLX.
According to sources privy to the business, shopkeepers are selling smuggled phones to customers with the assurance that it is possible to apply for the device’s registration or that registration is in process with PTA [Pakistan Telecommunication Authority].
“Many shopkeepers mislead customers by telling them that the mobile phones will be operational by paying a small tax to PTA whereas, in reality, PTA has specifically blocked these phones due to illegalities or other security reasons,” the sources added.
It has also been observed that shopkeepers are pasting fake IMEI numbers on mobile phones along with fake packing bearing the same IMEI numbers. “These shopkeepers tell customers that the phone has original IMEI number as matched with the box along with original accessories but there will be no warranty. This way the customers are fooled and mislead whereas all these things are prepared in local markets.”
The sources added that it was the customs department’s sheer incompetence because of which vendors are hoodwinking people.
Shabir Malik, a resident of Township, complained that he had bought a mobile phone from the Township mobile market but when he went to get it registered he got to know that the phone was already blocked.
“I tried to return the phone to the vendor but he refused to take it back. I have lost thousands of rupees because the phone was blocked by PTA after 15 days of usage,” he lamented.
Faisal Hayat, a resident of Ichhra, said that he bought a mobile phone from a shop on Wahdat Road after saving money for the purpose over months.
“The shopkeeper assured me that the registration of the phone that I had bought was already in process. However, when I tried to use the phone, it turned out that it had been blocked by PTA. All my savings went down the drain as the fraudster shopkeeper refused to return my money or exchange the phone,” he said.
Tayyab Masood, a resident of Canal Park, told Pakistan Today that the shopkeepers belonged to a mafia dealing in smuggled phones and they misguide people who want good phones at cheap prices.
Talking to Pakistan Today, PTA Spokesman Khurram Mehran said, “PTA has registered a total of 49.3 million IMEI numbers from January 15, 2019. Similarly, a total of 17.4m IMEI numbers have been blocked due to non-payment of taxes. Citizens should only purchase PTA-approved mobile phones from the market in order to avoid any issues because the phones blocked by PTA due to various reasons cannot be operated. In case of phones bought from outside Pakistan, the devices can be used for two months without registration but ultimately the tax will have to be paid to keep the phones operational”.
Defending his department’s performance, Lahore Customs Deputy Collector Hassan Farid told Pakistan Today that their teams conduct raids whenever a complaint is received regarding the sale of non-registered phones.
“It is an illegal act to sell such phones and whenever we are informed about such an activity we immediately take action and seize the merchandise,” he said.