Thief nabbed in Delhi with 12 phones; targeted crowded temples

New Delhi, Nov 18 (PTI) A 37-year-old man was arrested from a central Delhi area with 12 handsets in his possession, mostly stolen from major religious sites in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, the police said on Tuesday.

The accused was identified as Praveen Kumar, a resident of Karol Bagh. The car he allegedly used to commit crimes was seized, they said.

On November 16, a mobile phone was reported to have been stolen from the Khatu Shyam Ji temple in Sikar, Rajasthan.

Police traced the location of the device to a car on East Park Road, where Kumar was apprehended.

When police searched his car, they discovered 12 mobile phones, some of them stolen from the ISKCON temple in Vrindavan.

Four phones out of the 12 phones, including an iPhone 16 Pro Max, are yet to be linked to specific theft cases, a police officer said.

During interrogation, Kumar disclosed that he and an associate, Sunny alias Ajay, targeted crowded pilgrimage sites to steal hi-end smartphones.

The two travelled to Khatu Shyam and Vrindavan on November 15 and committed multiple thefts before returning to Delhi to sell them to local receivers, the officer said.

The police are looking for Sunny. PTI SSJ VN VN