Finally a constructive step has been taken up by the government in order to put a stop on the use of mobile phones for terror calls. The Govt. has instructed the mobile operators to not to sell phones with fake IMEI (Fake phone ID) numbers.  

The culprits use the mobile sets with fake IMEI number or not having one at all to make all sort of threatening calls, since these handsets can never be traced by the security agencies. Furthermore, the calls made through these handsets can also not be traced or monitored. The lack of proper security codes do not let the security agencies to reach out the culprits.  

From now on, no more phones without IMEI numbers would be sold in the market, since Govt. has ordered the mobile operators to stop connectivity to phones without IMEI numbers. 

Usually, the cheap Chinese sets available in the Indian grey market are responsible for this, since these sets have fake IMEI numbers. These handsets are often used by the terrorists to carry out their conversations without the fear of being caught. 

Basically, an IMEI number consist of 15-17 digits, and all the branded sets carry a genuine IMEI numbers. When a SIM is activated on the set, its IMEI number also gets active with the GSM provider. With the help of the IMEI number, the handset can be blocked at any given time. 

Earlier too, the police was facing a tough time to catch the culprits, sine they use sets with fake IMEI numbers and could not be caught.