Announcement to close all mobile phone shops in the country

Business Community Bangladesh (MBCB), an organization of smartphone and gadget traders, has announced to close mobile phone shops nationwide. The decision was announced at a press conference organized by Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) today (November 19).
It was informed that the decision was taken in protest against the arrest of Sumashtech CEO Abu Sayeed Pias by DB and the shrinking of the mobile market in the name of NEIR. The speakers at the press conference said that if the association’s secretary Pias is not released by today, they will start a strong movement across the country. At that time, they also threatened to bring the country to a standstill.
It was alleged that the Intelligence Branch (DB) had taken away Sumashtech CEO and smartphone and gadget trader Abu Sayeed Pias last night. A member of Pias’s family confirmed the matter. His wife Sumaiya Chowdhury said that the Intelligence Branch took her husband away from his house in Mirpur-1 area at around 3 am last night. He said that DB members also seized Piyas’ mobile phone at that time.
The MBCB demanded that Piyas, who holds an important position in their association, be released immediately, otherwise they will take a tougher stand. Traders present at a press conference organized at DRU said that the incident has created panic in the business community and they expect a clear explanation from the government.
It is worth noting that the plan to launch the National Equipment Identity Registration (NEIR) system from December 16 was announced to prevent the use of unregistered smartphones and ensure security in the telecommunications sector. NEIR is a central system that will register the internationally recognized IMEI number of each handset along with the user’s National Identity Card (NID) and the SIM used. Once it is launched, the government hopes that the use of unregistered, stolen or unauthorized imported phones on the country’s mobile network will be completely stopped.