Phones stolen from Mathura sold at Delhi tea shop; woman among 5 held

Mathura (UP), Aug 15 (PTI) A joint team of the Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) arrested five alleged members of a mobile-thief gang, including a woman,” at Mathura Junction railway station, officials said Friday.

The joint team also recovered 221 stolen phones and gold jewellery, the officials added.

GRP DSP Najmul Hussain Naqvi said the arrests took place during a special joint checking drive to curb crime in trains on Thursday. The team detained five suspects --” identified as Neeraj and his wife Santosh alias Riya of Delhi's Kashmere Gate, Yogesh and Shivkumar of Aligarh, and Akash of the Auraiya district.

A search of their belongings led to the seizure of 221 stolen mobile phones, three gold-coloured chains, and a gold-coloured mangalsutra. Thirty-one of the recovered phones have already been identified as stolen, Naqvi said.

Police said Riya ran a tea stall in Delhi where she allegedly sold stolen phones at low prices. After thefts, gang members would hand over the goods to her to dispose of discreetly.

RPF Sub-inspector Sujit Singh Chandel said the gang included two brothers --” Shivkumar and Yogesh --” who operated a mobile repair shop in Aligarh's Sadar Bazar. They would allegedly dismantle stolen phones, reuse the parts in other devices, and sell them in the market.

All five accused were produced before the railway court and later sent to jail. PTI COR KIS MNK MNK