THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA: Cute looks and advanced multi-media features at cheap rates have made Chinese mobile phones a much sought after product in the mobile phone market in the country, especially Kerala, where such handsets are easily available.

Ignorant of security flaws hidden in it, mobile phone users are getting attracted to the spurious Chinese mobile phones.
 
Most of the China made mobile phones available in the market these days do not have a genuine International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number. Hence the chances of these phones being misused for anti-social activities are very high.
 
Concerned over the security threat posed by these phones, the law enforcement agencies in the country have already mooted a ban on the use and sale of handsets without a genuine IMEI number in the country. 

As the sale of these phones thrives in the state, the Kerala Police are also learnt to have brought the matter to the notice of the authorities concerned.
 
A 15 to 17 digit unique serial number printed on the backside of a mobile phone handset is referred to as the IMEI number.

A combination of the codes representing the manufacturer's name, model and type of the phone, the IMEI number gets registered with the mobile phone service provider as soon as a phone is activated. IMEI number is required to trace a phone as well as to retrieve its call history.
 
Owing to the security loopholes that these phones offer, it has become a favorite among the anti-social elements. There were even reports that the Chinese phones without a genuine IMEI number were used for masterminding some of the recent terror strikes in the country.
 
In wake of such instances, the Central Intelligence Bureau had brought the matter to the notice of the Union Home Ministry and Department of Telecommunications and recommended a ban on the use and sale of such phones in the country. A decision on the matter is pending with the Union Government, it could be learnt.
 
In case of theft also, it would be difficult to trace a phone that do not have a genuine IMEI number. Moreover, the police would even refuse to accept a complaint to trace a lost phone without IMEI number. 
 
"When a branded mobile phone handset with multi-media features costs more than Rs.
10,000, Chinese phones with the same features are available in the range of Rs. 2000 to Rs. 4000. Hence many of the mobile phone enthusiasts prefer the Chinese one," says Rakesh Krishnan, a mobile phone dealer in the city.
 
But he said that the reputed brands from China carry a genuine IMEI number.