The New Nation - Internet Edition

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

The shady trading of cellular phones is on the rise at various markets in Dhaka city as incidents of muggings and thefts have increased considerably.

The muggers and thieves are turning greedier and more ruthless as they are able to make a quick cash without even risking too much when they sell or trade in their loot of choice, cell phones, in these markets.

With the growing popularity of cell phones, the criminals find it easier and more lucrative to target their victims for cellular phones.

Most of these cell phones usually end up at mobile phone markets at Islampur, Gulistan, Bangabandhu National Stadium and Baitul Mukarram National Mosque or on the pavements of Gabtoli inter-district bus terminal. The thriving business of this type of cell phones is controlled by an organised interest groups and one such cell phone usually changes hands multiple times, said sources.

With the 'right connections,' a stolen or snatched cell phone can even be retrieved from these places, added the sources.

Tahmid Mostafa, a graduate student of a private university, tracked down his Nokia N92 cellular phone, an expensive model that had been snatched from him by muggers, at one of these markets. He ended up buying back his phone.

He then went to a local cell phone shop in Banani the next morning and told the shop attendant about the mugging incident. He was quite startled as the shop attendant was unusually curious about specific details of the incident. He asked me a lot of questions about the incident - especially about the exact time and location where the mugging took place, he said.

After hearing me through, the attendant told me that there might just be enough time left for me to get my phone back, said Tahmid said and adding that he was asked to come back after lunch with a few of his friends.

With a glimmer of hope in the horizon, Tahmid, along with his friends, met the attendant at the specified time. The attendant took them to Islampur Market in Sadarghat.

According to sources, most stolen or snatched cellular phones are collected and stored at different slums in the city by organised crime rings.

A businessman at Bangabandhu stadium market, said, "Muggers usually keep in touch with local contacts who trade second-hand sets. These people collect and keep the cellular phones in local slums."

The slums usually also have a small mobile phone repair shop with a group of technicians, spare parts and accessories. The phones are cleaned up and their covers are replaced so that they look almost new. Later, most sets are packed into suitcases and usually sent to the different selling points, he added.

The buying process of these phones is also just as tricky. The traders usually sit with their suitcases closed and consider a number of things before displaying their stock to anyone.

According to an owner of a cell phone shop at Uttara, the underground cell phone market has become a huge business in the city where traders are swindling people out of money by selling bootlegged and refurbished cell phones that are in fact malfunctioning.

"Stolen and malfunctioning cell phones are being sold there after being tampered with by technicians. These phones hardly last for more than six months," he pointed out.

Varieties of brands and models of these kinds of cell phones are being sold at the underground markets at bargain prices - usually at prices much lower than that of the genuine and brand new ones. As a result, various types of mobile sets are available in this connection.

"The phone sets that we sell in here usually do not cost more than Tk 2,000 because they are mostly second hand sets. We, basically, offer people the opportunity to buy cell phones at really cheap prices. This is what drives hundreds of bargain hunters flocking to these markets," said a trader at Baitul Mukarram market.