Telecom resources have become key enablers of cyber-crime in India. Evaluate the regulatory and technological measures DoT has taken to address this. (10 m)

Fraudsters rely on telecom resources to reach victims. They use SIMs taken on forged identities, phones with tampered IMEIs, international calls disguised as +91 numbers, and messaging apps that keep working after the SIM is removed. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has built a layered response. It works well, but it is still incomplete.

Regulatory Measures

• IMEI integrity: Rule 8(3) of the Telecom Cyber Security Rules, 2024 bans IMEI tampering. Every IMEI must be registered on the Device Setu portal. Violations can bring up to 3 years in jail and a fine of up to ₹50 lakh, and the offence is cognizable and non-bailable [2].
• Mule accounts: The TCS Amendment Rules, 2025 created the Mobile Number Validation platform. It checks whether a mobile number really belongs to the account holder [3].
• SIM binding: Messaging apps must stay linked to the active SIM, and web sessions must log out periodically [4].
• Inter-regulator link: RBI has advised banks to integrate DoT's FRI [5].

Technological Measures

• ASTR is an AI and facial-recognition tool for verifying SIM subscribers. Its first phase led to 36.61 lakh suspect connections being disconnected [6].
• CEIR blocks lost or stolen handsets on every network. 60.96 lakh handsets have been blocked so far [1].
• Chakshu and DIP: 12.80 lakh citizen reports led to action in 59.82 lakh cases, because one fraud number usually leads to many linked SIMs. DIP connects more than 1,600 stakeholders [1].
• FRI grades mobile numbers as Medium, High or Very High risk [7]. It has prevented more than ₹5,000 crore of suspected fraud losses [1].

Limitations

• Weak last mile: Only about 14 lakh blocked phones (roughly 23%) have been recovered, because recovery depends on State police [1].
• Reactive design: Chakshu acts only after the fraud call has been made, so fraudsters simply move to new numbers.
• Voluntary adoption: Banks are only advised to use FRI, not required to [5].
• Trust deficit: The order to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app was withdrawn [8]. There is also no public data on wrongful disconnections.

On balance, DoT now targets the whole fraud chain (SIM, handset, app and money), not just isolated numbers. The next steps are to make FRI compulsory, publish data on disconnection appeals, link Chakshu with the 1930 helpline, and set up phone-recovery cells in State police. Privacy safeguards in line with Puttaswamy (2017) and the DPDP Act would keep citizens willing to take part, in line with SDG 16.