Four of interstate gang involved in mobile theft held with 45 stolen phones

The Crime Branch Unit of the Delhi Police has arrested four members of an interstate gang involved in stealing and smuggling high-end smartphones to Nepal, officials said on Friday.

Police said that the arrested accused were caught with 45 stolen mobile phones snatched during the Ganpati Visarjan processions in Mumbai, including the famed ‘Lalbaugcha Raja’ event.

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The arrests were made following intel that the suspects were returning to Delhi via train after committing thefts in Mumbai. A team of the Crime Branch unit intercepted them on the Haridwar Express near the Mathura Railway Station and arrested them at Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference, Vikram Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), said, “The arrested have been identified as Mohommad Shakil (49), the kingpin of the gang from Kanpur; Mohommad Shafiq (34), a childhood associate of Shakil; Shamshul Hasan (40), a Delhi-based auto driver; and Dilshad (36), a former leather factory worker from Kanpur.”

During interrogation, the accused confessed to their involvement in the crime, targeting large public gatherings across major cities in different states, including Mumbai, where they operated during Ganpati festivities.

“The gang travelled to Mumbai on September 4 and executed multiple thefts on September 6 and 7. They planned to smuggle the stolen phones to Nepal via Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh,” the officer told the reporters while briefing about the case.

Of the seized stolen mobile phones , 15 were recovered from Shakil, 12 from Shafiq ,10 from Shamshul, and eight Dilshad. Five of these phones have already been linked to FIRs filed in Mumbai police stations, including Agripada and Nagpada.

The probe in the case revealed that all the four men have previous criminal records in states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Jammu & Kashmir.

“The team of the Crime Branch has booked them under Section 35.1 of the BNSS and informed the Mumbai Police, who are expected to take custody for further investigation.

Further investigation into this case is underway by the cops, the officer said.