The Karnatala police is trying to tackle a serious problem- the counterfieting of IMEI numbers. Police suspect that over a lakh International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers have been cloned in Karnataka and at least 10 lakh phones use such cloned numbers, states a report by The New Indian Express. In fact, in one case the Bengaluru police was probing, a single number was being used by 1,800 phones. This not just poses threat to national security, but is also a major hurdle in police investigation. Millions of IMEI numbers are being cloned across the country, and Karnataka is the worst hit by the cloning problem, a source told the paper. IMEI number is a unique number which every mobile phone has. The 15-digit number carries details about the device and can be helpful if the phone is stolen or lost. The IMEI number is usually printed inside the battery compartment and can also be found by dialing by *#06# on your phone. Though police have informed the Telecom Enforcement Resource and Monitoring (TERM) Cell and mobile service providers regarding the counterfeiting of the IMEI numbers and their possible misuse, they suspect action is not being taken because it could adversely affect their business. However, TERM officials told the paper that there are no guidelines to bar such cloned numbers.