ISLAMABAD, Aug 2: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Thursday cautioned mobile companies to check unauthorized sales of new SIMs and warned that franchises selling undocumented connections would be sealed.

The word of warning came after Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhary took suo motu action on complaints that new cellular connections of different mobile phone companies are being sold at every nook and corner of the city without any identity card and verification.

The action followed complaints suggesting that unregistered phone numbers issued on false names were being used in crimes such as kidnapping for ransom, murder, robbery, obnoxious calls to users even important social and political personalities and many other social crimes.

Deputy Director Khurram Ali Mehran told Dawn that the concerned companies would be asked to cancel those franchises which were not complying with PTA instructions.

He said that under PTA directives it had been mandatory for public to sign customer agreement form and deposit a copy of the computerised identity card for verification purposes.

Mr Mehran said that PTA had asked the mobile companies to get their data streamlined at their end by August 31 and get it verified from NADRA.

“The Customer Agreement Form has been made simple for the convenience of the general public. Furthermore, franchises will also be required to display at their sale points proof of their registration/authorisation from operators for the benefit of customers,” he said.