Vivo Booked For Using Same IMEI Number For Over 13,500 Smartphones

Multiple Vivo smartphones are operating in India with an identical IMEI number and Meerut cyber cell unit has now lodged a complaint against Vivo India for allegedly using repeated IMEI number on multiple smartphones.

Every smartphone comes with a unique 15-digit ID called IMEI that will help to identify and track the individual device. A phone launching in India has to have a unique IMEI number else it is considered as a criminal offense and the respective party has to face a three-year jail term.

All this began when a sub-inspector from Meerut police station replaced his smartphone at an official service station and the IMEI number on the replaced model did not match with the IMEI number of the phone. With this hint, he began an investigation by registering a case on Vivo India. And this case was investigated for more than five months.

The cyber cell center of Meerut forwarded the IMEI number to the SIM operator to collect data and there it was revealed that there are more than 13,500 Vivo smartphones are based on the same IMEI number and most of these phones are active across different states of the country.

Police have now served a notice to Vivo India’s nodal officer Harmanjit Singh based on Section 91 of the CrPC and the company is yet to give a statement on this issue. There was also a similar case that was registered last year, where more than a lakh smartphones were active in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh with an identical IMEI number.

Why IMEI Number Is Required?

An IMEI number is used to catch a culprit or track a lost or stolen device using the cellular services associated with the device. Having multiple devices with an identical IMEI will defeat this purpose and it is also considered as a criminal offense. One can check the IMEI of a device by entering *#06# on their smartphone dialer.

Via