Dhaka, July 7 (IANS) In a bid to check mobile phone-related crimes including terrorism and extortion, Bangladesh will formulate a new policy that will prevent shops from selling SIM cards to anyone below 18 years of age.

Terrorists have been committing crimes throughout the country by using cell phones, Home Minister Sahara Khatun said Wednesday.

‘We have already directed mobile phone operators to submit their distributors’ list within September 30 this year,’ Xinhua quoted the minister as telling national news agency BSS.

The distributors must be educated up to at least Class 10 and those failing to fulfil the norms will have to receive training to make them qualified for selling SIM cards, Khatun said.

The minister also made it clear that measures would be taken for online registration of those who would buy SIM cards from January 2011.