Govt Makes Police Verification Of SIM Card Dealers Mandatory, Discontinues Bulk Connections: Report

With this, the government has made it mandatory for new dealers (of mobile SIM cards) to go through a police verification process and biometric verification.

We will bring a proper business connection provision which will help in stopping fraudulent calls: Ashwini Vaishnaw ( Image Source :Getty )

The Centre has made police verification of SIM dealers mandatory and discontinued bulk connections, in a bid to curb frauds, the Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday, reported news agency PTI. With this, the government has made it mandatory for new dealers (of mobile SIM cards) to go through a police verification process and biometric verification. Registration will also be compulsory for all point-of-sale dealers now.

"Earlier, people used to buy (mobile) SIM cards in bulk. There was a provision for this to buy SIM cards in bulk. However, it has been decided to end this provision. Instead, we will bring a proper business connection provision which will help in stopping fraudulent calls," the Union Minister was quoted as saying.

As many as 67,000 dealers selling mobile SIM cards have been blacklisted and 300 FIRs have also been registered. More than 65,000 WhatsApp accounts have been blocked as well, said Vaishnaw while talking about telecom reform, as per ANI. 

"Since the launch of Sanchar Saathi portal, we have detected and deactivated 52 lakh connections which were fraudulently obtained. We have also blacklisted 67,000 dealers engaged in selling mobile SIM cards," Vaishnaw added.

VIDEO | "Since the launch of Sanchar Saathi portal, we have detected and deactivated 52 lakh connections which were fraudulently obtained. We have also blacklisted 67,000 dealers engaged in selling mobile SIM cards," says Union minister @AshwiniVaishnaw. pic.twitter.com/IxQMSImtA2

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 17, 2023

To recall, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) launched the Sanchar Saathi portal in May, in a bid to track and block lost and stolen mobile phones in India. Users need to file a police complaint of their mobile phone being stolen before they use the Sanchar Saathi portal anywhere in the country.

Sanchar Saathi portal works by essentially blocking a stolen mobile phone and preventing it from being misused while it is being tracked. Once a user registers on the platform, their device’s IMEI will be blocked, thus, preventing its misuse. Users can also unblock the device to start using it again from the same portal.