Two held for duping commuter of iPhone, cash in east Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 25 (PTI) Delhi Police has arrested two men who, along with a juvenile, staged a drama to lure a commuter into helping the minor with a promise of easy money and fled with his phone and some cash in east Delhi's Shakarpur, officials said on Monday.

On August 23, complainant Md Owais (26), from Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, was approached by a boy at Mandi House Metro Station, they said.

The boy claimed he had fled Haryana after stealing money from his employer and was heading to Bihar with a bag full of cash, police said.

"Soon, two men joined in and persuaded the complainant to part with some cash to test the boy's truth. Lured by the promise of easy money, the complainant handed over Rs 1,000," a senior police officer said.

The boy then handed over his bag to Owais, saying he would need more money once he reached Bihar, and asked the complainant to show his account balance.

On the pretext of verifying his account balance, the boy and his associates managed to note the complainant's screen lock password and UPI PIN, the officer said.

They got down at Laxmi Nagar Metro station where the accused took Owais iPhone on the pretext of ensuring that the complainant did not run away with the bag, he added.

While the complainant was arranging an auto for the boy at Laxmi Nagar Metro Station, the accused fled with his iPhone, he said.

A case was registered and police traced the live location of the stolen phone near Gurudwara Sisganj Sahib, where Bilal (25) and Rahul (29) -- from Bawana -- were arrested, while their juvenile associate managed to escape, according to the officer.

Police said the accused used the complainant’s UPI details to buy a bicycle worth Rs 3,000 and duped several bystanders of nearly Rs 40,000 by offering fake online transfers. About Rs 22,500 was converted into cash within hours.

Bilal, a habitual offender previously involved in five cases of robbery, theft and snatching, played a key role in defrauding, while his associate Rahul, who works at a slipper factory in Bawana, assisted him.

The juvenile accomplice was used as a decoy to gain victims' trust, police said. PTI SSJ SSJ OZ OZ