Delhi Police bust gang smuggling snatched phones to Nepal, 3 held

New Delhi, Dec 5 (PTI) A racket of phone snatchers linked to an international smuggling network was busted with the arrest of three men as police recovered 103 stolen mobiles from them, an official said on Friday.

Police said the gang allegedly targeted pedestrians using stolen vehicles with fake or concealed number plates. They would unlock stolen phones by exploiting predictable PINs and patterns, accessed UPI and digital wallets and carried out unauthorised transactions worth lakhs of rupees.

Police said receivers bulk-processed the stolen devices before they were smuggled to Nepal through intermediaries.

The syndicate was being run by two designated 'bad characters' — Kishan alias Kishor alias Golu and Mohit alias Badshah. Kishan has 21 previous criminal cases and Mohit has 15.

A third accused, Rohit, described as a receiver, allegedly supplied the stolen devices to a handler who transported consignments to Nepal, where phones were flashed and resold, police said.

The case came to light on Monday when a factory watchman in Ashok Vihar reported that two men on a black motorcycle snatched his mobile phone. Police registered a case and analysed CCTV footage and identified Kishan as one of the suspects.

Police said Kishan was arrested soon after and a country-made pistol, two live cartridges and a snatched mobile phone were recovered from him. The motorcycle he was riding was found to be stolen from Keshavpuram. A subsequent search of his residence led to the recovery of 40 suspected stolen phones.

During further investigation, Mohit was arrested on Thursday, and a stolen phone linked to a Shalimar Bagh case was recovered from him. His interrogation led police to Rohit, who was arrested the same day. On Rohit’s instance, police seized 29 phones from the house of his associate Amit and another 32 from Rohit’s residence, police said.

Recoveries included 103 smartphones, a country-made pistol with two cartridges, and the stolen motorcycle, officials added. A search is under way to trace the handler responsible for transporting the devices across the border. PTI SSJ SSJ SKY SKY