DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The police on Tuesday arrested an employee of a private mobile phone company and recovered hundreds of SIM cards and fake thumbprints of women from his possession.

DSP city Abdur Rahim Khan Gandapur and SHO Pervaiz Shah told a press conference that the police acted on information and arrested the accused, Sajid Ali Marwat, who had allegedly used names of other people to get fake SIMs.

They said the police recovered 110 fake thumbprints of women and 350 SIMs with fake names from his possession.

According to the police, the accused would scan the thumbprints on

the identity cards of women over 40 years of age in remote areas, make artificial rubber thumbprints according to these marks, and then get SIMs through them.

The gang members would sell some of these SIMs and deactivate the remaining ones.

The group also includes a man from Khushab, who runs the subsystem, the police officials said.

During preliminary interrogation, the accused identified his accomplice as Jawad Haider Awan of Khushab district. The accused have so far sold thousands of fake SIMs, they said.

The police registered a case against the accused and started further investigations.

Meanwhile, armed robbers snatched cash and mobile phones from drivers of dumper trucks on Zafar Abad link road.

Sources said the robbers forced the drivers at gunpoint to stop the vehicles and snatched Rs8,000 cash and two mobile phones from them.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2021