Police busts racket of mobile lifters

Kolkata: Kolkata Police has busted a racket of mobile phone lifters that operated in buses. On Tuesday night, a youth was caught red-handed by a police constable in plain clothes in a bus.

According to sources, since Durga Puja, Maniktala police station officials planned to conduct checks inside the buses as mobile lifters had become active during the festive season taking advantage of crowded buses. As the festive season is not yet over, the police are continuing the drive. As a part of the drive, a police constable boarded a Howrah railway station-bound bus on Tuesday night. While he was travelling, he saw a youth was trying to steal a mobile phone and wallet from passenger. Before the accused could manage to get hold of the booty and get down from the bus, the police constable detained the youth, identified as Paritosh Halder, of Park Circus. He was taken to Maniktala police station where police officials interrogated him.

During the interrogation, Halder disclosed the names and whereabouts of his associates and police conducted a raid in Narkeldanga and arrested another youth, identified as Rahul Shaikh, of Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas. A mobile phone was found from his possession, which was also stolen from Maniktala area on Tuesday. After Shaikh was interrogated, the police came to know about another mobile lifter, identified as Bapi Naskar alias Tapas of Baruipur in South 24-Parganas. He was also arrested on Tuesday night.