LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency has arrested 20 grey traffickers who were using some 1,300 GSM active SIMs, showing that Biometric Verification System (BVS) could not help much in its misuse.

The FIA Cyber Crime Circle Punjab laid hands on the suspects after monitoring one of the Internet Online forums in which different users were discussing about devices used in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and SIMs etc.

“We started focusing such users of internet forums and chat-rooms in order to reach them. Initially a suspect who was selling active SIMs to illegal voice exchange operators was caught and during interrogation he pointed out certain locations where these illegal voice exchanges were running, thus helping us to break the network and arrest 20 suspects mostly from different parts of Lahore, FIA Cyber Crime Circle Deputy Director Syed Shahid Hassan told Dawn here on Tuesday.

Arrests made after monitoring one of the Internet Online forums

“During the raids the FIA team also confiscated 18 voice exchanges, 1,300 GSM active SIMs,” he added.

The FIA official said the conversations in these internet forums transpired that the voice-traffickers often remained in contact with each other (on such forums and communities) and considered them safe platform for grey trafficking.

“The transaction of illegal voice business, sale and purchase of GSM gateway devices and active SIMs was finalised on this platform,” he said, adding the FIA would continue monitoring these internet online forums and groups to control the menace of grey voice trafficking and illegal activation of SIMs.

Last year over 100 million SIMs were biometrically verified and some 26 million were blocked due to non-verification.

Despite re-verification of SIMs there has been no visible reduction in crimes like fake messages using the name of Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), illegal voice exchanges and fake lottery messages.

Besides this, grey trafficking still continues despite closure of the International Clearing House.

An official of a leading mobile operator told Dawn that biometric verification system was no guarantee of reduction in crimes.

“In fact it helps to trace the criminals and the law-enforcement agencies should lay hands on culprits by using this system instead of directing to close such numbers,” he said.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2015