Karachi Dealers Hand Over More Than 3,300 Stolen and Missing Phones to CPLC
Mobile phone dealers in Karachi have handed over 3,386 stolen, snatched, and missing mobile phones to the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) over the past decade, with the devices collectively valued at more than Rs. 285 million.
The phones were detected during routine checks when customers brought new or used devices to dealers for resale. Dealers verified the phones against CPLC records and handed over those reported as stolen, snatched, or missing to the authorities.
The Karachi Electronic Dealers Association (KEDA) also recently submitted another 231 mobile phones to the CPLC. These devices are estimated to be worth around Rs. 5 million and are expected to be returned to their rightful owners who had previously filed complaints.
Under a cooperation mechanism involving KEDA, the CPLC, and local police, mobile dealers are required to check the status of phones before purchasing or reselling them. Devices found in official records as stolen, snatched, or missing are subsequently handed over to law enforcement authorities.
KEDA President Rizwan Irfan said mobile dealers have been following established procedures to prevent suspicious and illegally obtained phones from entering the legitimate resale market.
According to Irfan, dealers inform sellers whenever a device is flagged in the CPLC database. In some cases, individuals have allegedly attempted to sell large numbers of suspicious phones despite being informed about the verification results.
He said dealers and the association have so far detained around 20 such suspects and handed them over to police for further action.
Irfan also highlighted the importance of Karachi’s used mobile phone market, saying it provides business opportunities for traders while allowing consumers to purchase smartphones at comparatively lower prices.
However, he noted that stolen and snatched phones continue to circulate through informal markets. Some such devices are also reportedly smuggled across Pakistan’s borders with Afghanistan and Iran.
The verification system was developed after the government considered restricting the resale of used mobile phones in 2016. Traders subsequently worked with authorities to establish a checking mechanism that allows the second-hand market to operate while helping prevent stolen devices from being resold.
The latest recovery highlights the role of cooperation between mobile dealers, law enforcement agencies, and verification authorities in identifying and recovering stolen mobile phones.
