RAJKOT, DEC 20: In a surprise move, Rajkot Police Commissioner Sudhir Sinha on Tuesday issued a notification, banning the sale of pre-paid SIM cards without adequate proof of identity from the buyer. The notification comes after some recent incidents where the police found it difficult to trace criminals using these cards for making ransom calls.Sinha said in view of the increasing use of pre-paid cards by criminals, it was necessary to impose some restrictions. He said in the agreement between the government and the mobile phone companies, there was already a provision that subscribers would have to furnish details like name, residential address and proof of identification, but it was not being followed.The police commissioner's notification bans the sale of pre-paid cards without verifying the authenticity of the customer initially for two months, beginning from January 1, 2001.The notification states that dealers will have to ask for certified copies of the driving license, ration card, telephone bill, electricity bill or school leaving certificate from those buying pre-paid cards. The companies and dealers will have to maintain a register of details of the subscribers, along with the person's signature.Sinha said the police station would carry out inspection at mobile phone outlets every month and submit a report to the Detection of Crime Branch. Police would also carry out surprise checks if necessary. Violation of the notification would attract punishment under section 188 of the IPC, which deals with prohibitory orders issued by the administration.The commissioner said the use of pre-paid sim cards by criminals was increasing. Recently, the kidnappers of Bhaskar Parekh and Parekh Shah, sons of local businessmen, had used such cards for making ransom calls, making it difficult for the police to trace them. Criminal gangs were also using pre-paid SIM cards for their internal communications, he said.
