Your phone gets snatched on the road. Or it is lifted from your pocket in a bus. The first thing you want is to make that phone useless to the thief. In Pakistan you can do that. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) runs a system that blocks the phone by its IMEI number. Once blocked, the phone cannot work on any mobile network in Pakistan.
This guide covers the two things you should do: block the phone through PTA, and report the theft to the police. The FIR is optional for the PTA block. It matters for recovery and for the criminal case. Keep your CNIC and the phone's box or invoice with you. The IMEI is printed on them.
What the law calls a stolen phone
Theft is defined in section 378 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). It is taking movable property dishonestly, without the owner's consent. The punishment for simple theft is in section 379: imprisonment up to three years, or a fine, or both.
Street snatching is usually worse than simple theft. If the thief uses force, or the threat of instant force, the offence becomes robbery under section 390 of the PPC. Robbery is punished under section 392 with rigorous imprisonment of not less than three years and up to ten years, plus a fine. If the robbery happens on a highway, the term can go up to fourteen years. Under Schedule II of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), robbery is not bailable.
Buying a stolen phone is its own offence. Section 411 of the PPC punishes anyone who receives or keeps stolen property, knowing or having reason to believe it is stolen, with up to three years, or a fine, or both.
What you need before you block the phone
The block works on the IMEI, not on your SIM. IMEI is the unique number of the phone itself. Dial *#06# and the number appears on the screen. It is also on the box, on the invoice, and under the battery in older phones. Write it down now, before anything happens.
PTA needs three things from you. Your CNIC. The IMEI of the phone. And the mobile number that was used in that phone during the previous six months. The SIM of that number must be registered against your CNIC. If the phone was never used with a Pakistani SIM, PTA will not process the block. The OTP for your application is sent to the SIM that was in the missing phone, so keep that number alive. PTA gets its power to regulate networks and protect consumers from the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act 1996.
Step 1: Block the phone through PTA
PTA handles these cases in its Lost and Stolen Device System, LSDS for short. It was launched in April 2021 and is linked to DIRBS, the system that keeps illegal phones off Pakistani networks. You file the request through the PTA Complaint Management System app (Android and iOS) or the online portal at complaint.pta.gov.pk. If you cannot file online, call PTA at 0800-55055, from 9 am to 9 pm, seven days a week, or visit the nearest PTA office.
You will be asked for your name, your father's name, your CNIC, your city, the mobile number used in the phone, the IMEI, and the brand, model and colour of the handset. You also give the reason, location and date of the incident. Email, postal address and FIR number are optional fields.
Once you submit, you get a complaint reference number. Keep it. PTA says the phone is blocked within 24 hours of reporting, after verification. For approved dual SIM phones, blocking one IMEI blocks the second IMEI as well, even if you only used one slot.
If the IMEI and the mobile number details do not match, the request is rejected and you must submit matching information again. Phones lost months or years ago can still be blocked, as long as you have the right IMEI and the other details.
Step 2: File an FIR
Theft is a cognizable offence. Section 154 of the CrPC says the police must record the information you give about a cognizable offence. If you give it orally, the officer in charge reduces it to writing, reads it back to you, and you sign it. That record is your FIR. So the police cannot refuse to write your FIR for theft.
You do not need the FIR to block the phone through PTA. PTA lists it as optional. But the FIR is how the case enters the criminal system. It gives you a paper trail for insurance, for recovery, and for the court case against the thief if he is caught. In Karachi, the Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) also helps track stolen phones and can assist with recovery.
Step 3: Unblock the phone if you get it back
If the phone comes back to you, only the person who filed the original blocking request can apply to unblock it. You submit through the same complaint system, using the original complaint reference number and your CNIC. After verification, PTA says the IMEI is unblocked within 24 hours. You also get an SMS on your registered number once it is done.
What blocking does and does not do
Blocking stops the phone from working on any mobile network in Pakistan. It does not find the phone. PTA has said clearly that LSDS only blocks the handset. Recovery is police work, or CPLC's. So file the FIR even when you are tempted to skip it. It is the recovery channel.
Blocking the phone does not block your SIM or your number. If the thief is using your number, contact your mobile operator to block the SIM. The full steps for a lost SIM in Pakistan cover the order to follow. If your number is being used for fraud, an FIA cybercrime complaint in Pakistan is the right place. For scams involving fake sellers, the online fraud complaint in Pakistan route also helps. Your number matters more than the handset.
Before you buy a used phone
Check the IMEI before you hand over money. Send the IMEI to 8484, or check it on the DIRBS website, or in the Device Verification System app. A blocked IMEI means the phone will not work in Pakistan. A phone sold much cheaper than market price is usually stolen. Buying it knowingly puts you inside section 411 of the PPC. Walk away.
For more on police procedure, read what an FIR is. You can also browse the rest of the Lexiber blog for guides on FIRs, fraud and consumer protection.
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