The police of various police stations under Barisal district started a drive since Monday against the use of cellular phones by minor children, reportedly to prevent use of mobile phones in criminal activities.
The drive has created panic among the children and parents who stay in touch with each other through the mobile phones.
Till the writing of this report, about hundred under-aged cellular phone users have been detained in nine police stations in Gournadi, Babuganj, Banaripara, Agoiljhara, Wazirpur, Hizla, Muladi, Mehendiganj and Bakerganj upazilas, and were later handed over to their guardians after the signing of a bond, said Dev Das Bhattacharjee, Barisal district's police superintendent, on Wednesday.
Dr Abdur Rahim, deputy inspector general of the Barisal police range, said that the drive has been launched in response to the directive of the home affairs ministry.
No one below 18 years of age can purchase cellular phone SIMs legally, so the police suspected that many minor children were illegally purchasing SIMs under false names and addresses, and using the mobiles for stalking, drug peddling, circulating pornography and other criminal purposes.
So, to curb crime and prevent social decay, the police started a drive against illegal use of mobiles, and the drive will continue, said the DIG.
Zillur Rahman, deputy commissioner (headquarters) of the Barisal Metropolitan Police, said that before starting the drive against the illegal and under-aged mobile users in four police stations under the BMP, the police started to motivate SIM sellers not to sell SIMs and to under-aged children without valid documents.
In next phase not only the illegal users, but the persons identified as buyers and sellers of SIM will be booked for breaking the law, said Zillur.
Rebecca Sultana, a mobile SIM seller, claimed the cellular phone service providers since 2010 have issued specific instructions to sell SIMs after seeing the buyer's National ID card and verifying the address, signature and photograph. The law-abiding SIM sellers do not oppose the police's drive, she added.
However Nahar Begum, mother of two school-going juveniles, expressed her anxiety, saying that her children use the SIMs purchased under her National ID card to keep in contact with guardians, teachers and classmates. If they are stopped from using mobile phones, both she and her children will face great inconvenience because they will be out of touch with each other, and they will all feel insecure.
So the law enforcing agencies must find out an alternative solution to prevent the use of mobile phones by criminals, she said.
Source : New Age
No comments:
Post a Comment