In a major breakthrough, South-West Delhi police have dismantled an interstate mobile phone theft syndicate operating in crowded markets. The Sarojini Nagar police station team arrested one adult suspect and apprehended a 15-year-old juvenile, seizing 46 stolen mobiles, including 13 iPhones, which were returned to their rightful owners after verification.
The operation began with an e-FIR lodged on December 27 last year, reporting a snatching at Sarojini Nagar market. Investigators pored over CCTV footage, spotting two suspicious individuals hovering near the complainant. Acting on a tip-off the next day, Sub-Inspector Anoop Kumar and Head Constable Rajendra nabbed the minor at Gate No. 2 of the market.
During interrogation, the juvenile confessed to multiple thefts in bustling bazaars, revealing he handed over the phones to his handler, Abhishek Kumar alias Shubham, aged 27. A special team under SHO Atul Tyagi raided Shubham’s rented hideout in Ghazipur, East Delhi, under ACP Safdarjung Enclave’s supervision, arresting him and recovering 34 mobiles along with 23 phone covers.
Leveraging technical surveillance, IMEI tracking, and the CEIR portal, police traced 12 more devices from various locations. After legal formalities and ownership checks at Sarojini Nagar station, all 46 phones were reunited with owners.
Interrogations uncovered the gang’s winter modus operandi: targeting crowded spots, using polythene sheets to conceal hand movements, and slipping phones into jacket pockets undetected. Stolen devices were quickly passed to Shubham, who planned to smuggle them to Nepal and Bangladesh via middlemen to evade detection.
This bust cracked 10 e-FIR cases across stations like Hauz Khas, Rajender Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Kotwali, Palam Village, Jamia Nagar, Timarpur, and Swaroop Nagar. The remaining 37 phones linked to lost reports.
Delhi Police hailed the success as a testament to their tech-savvy investigations and citizen-centric approach, vowing continued proactive measures for public safety.