Did you know that over 90 per cent of crime cases where mobile-phone information is sought for corroboration get cracked? No one would ever imagine that the now integral part of one's lives actually turns it against its very owners.

The rapid growth in the country's mobile-phone penetration has changed the way we communicate. Apart from becoming virtually indispensable, mobile phones are playing a major role in solving crimes — providing vital clues or corroborative evidence in lacing the events leading to the crime.

The percentage of cases which get cracked by leads provided by mobile phones has grown significantly lately. Though no formal research data are available on this aspect, it is now well-known that mobile-phone usage patterns have helped solve cases, according to Mr S. Ramakrishna, Circle Head and Chief Operating Officer of Tata Teleservices.

Mr Ramakrishna said the mobile phone has proliferated in urban areas with 130 phones for every 100 persons, meaning that many of the users have more than one handset, some even three. What is significant is that increasingly mobile phones have helped sleuths crack crimes.

A top cop in the State told Business Line that right from simple information on securing the address to monitoring the call patterns and zeroing in on to the crucial links in the case, the mobile phone plays a role in investigations. For instance, getting 30 calls from the same number might lead to hints for the case. “That kind of information helps us interrogate and gather additional information,” he said.

Even the location of death of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, in a chopper-crash in Nallamalla forest range, was tracked with the help of SIM cards and cell towers.

Refraining from providing any specific data (for reasons of confidentiality) on number of cases that have been solved with the help of mobile phones, he said a mobile phone is used for all occasions, be it to call, take pictures, send SMSs, or even share songs and pictures. Therefore, this is an important bit of info that helps them lace together disjointed information.

“Telecom operator plays an important role in protecting the customer identity and information. However, during the course of investigation, if the police department requires information, we provide it to them after following certain norms. Thereafter, we never know how the case ended finally,” Mr Ramakrishna said.

Crooks always a step ahead

Another top cop believes organised criminals, gangsters, syndicates and the under world are smarter. “They will ensure that they do not leave any call trace. So much so that they even manage fake SIM cards, and also replace or implant IMEI number (unique ID) of their phones. In such cases, we hit dead end. There are other ways to tackle them. But people new to mobile-phone usage certainly fall prey,” he said.

A telecom value-added service provider said the location-based service feature is the most powerful facility that helps zero in on the caller. And the intelligent systems built into the network also provide valuable insights when required.

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