83,000 fake cellphone sets seized at airport

The telecom regulatory body yesterday seized around 83,000 fake mobile phone sets from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, officials said.
"The handsets imported by three companies have been found fake when the regulatory body conducted a drive at the airport," Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Maj Gen (retd) Zia Ahmed told BSS in the evening.
A BTRC official who took part in the drive said that M Hossain Electronics imported 42,000 counterfeit handsets while Top Star Enterprise 20,000 and Raha Enterprise 20,000.
The estimated price of seized handsets is Taka 20 crore, he said.
The BTRC informed the airport authority earlier not to issue release order for the imported handsets.
The regulatory body chairman said legal action would be taken against the involved companies.
The regulatory body officials said 30 percent of the imported mobile phone handsets are fake.
According to the BTRC and mobile phone importers, approximately one crore handsets are imported every year in the country, 30 percent of which is marketed under renowned brands.
Officials said different companies often open LC (Letter of Credit) in the name of renowned brands like Nokia, Samsung, LG, but later they import substandard handsets from China.
According to the law, the importer company has to collect prior permission from the regulatory body for handset imports.
They have also to submit the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number of the handsets to the BTRC.