Snatchers run shop, use stolen phone parts to repair mobiles

New Delhi: The snatchers have adopted new tactics to dispose of stolen phones. In the latest case reported from North Delhi's Wazirabad area, it was revealed that the criminals had open mobile repairing shop and they were installing the stolen mobile parts on the customer's phone who gave their phone for repairing. Police have arrested two persons in the case.

An investigator told Millennium Post that the accused in the case identified as Harish and Tushal were earning a profit of more than Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000 per mobile phone approx.

"More than 100 phones that were repaired at a North Delhi's shop is likely being installed with stolen parts," police said.

"First, they snatch the mobile phone and then disassemble it. The accused then install the parts of the snatched mobiles in customers phones who have given them for repair work," the investigator said adding that recently they have dismantled more than 50 phones.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Nupur Prasad said that the accused were arrested during patrolling duty in Hardev Nagar area.

"During interrogation, seven other mobile phones and several dismantled mobiles phones ( parts of which found sold) have been recovered from accused Tushal who runs a mobile shop," said DCP North.

The team under SHO Wazirabad PC Yadav started the probe in the case. Investigators further added that one of the accused knew mobile repairing.

"At the shop, we found that several phone screens, cameras, keypads were kept," said a police officer adding that from last two to three years they have been involved in such activity.

"They also sold the stolen phone as second hand to customers," police said.

They used to charge around Rs 2,000-5,000 for changing the display screen of the mobile phone.

"Whatever the money they were getting was profit to them," added the officer.

The Delhi Police annual report of 2018 revealed that last year as many as 6,642 cases of snatching were reported as compared to 8,070 cases in the year 2017.

3,785 (56.98 percent) cases were solved with the arrest of 5326 persons. 96.66 per cent of the total arrested criminals were first-time offenders and 54.90 percent of them were illiterates or school drop-

outs.