Ex-taxi driver held with gun & 11 stolen phones in NE Delhi

NEW DELHI: A 36-year-old former taxi driver was arrested here with a pistol and 11 stolen mobile handsets in his possession, police said on Sunday.

Saleem Khan, a resident of Old Mustafabad in northeast Delhi, rode a bike taxi before turning to a life of crime, they said. “The arrest was made by a team of the crime branch following a tip-off against those involved in mobile phone theft and their disposal networks in northeast Delhi,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Vikram Singh said.

On Friday, Khan collected 11 stolen phones from Bhopura in Uttar Pradesh and was waiting for delivery instructions when police caught him near Seemapuri

roundabout, the DCP said.

Police recovered 11 stolen phones, a country-made pistol, and two live cartridges from

his possession, he said.

During interrogation, Khan revealed that while working as a taxi driver, he came into contact with buyers and transporters of stolen mobile

phones, police said.

“He used to buy handsets from pickpockets operating in the Delhi Metro and on buses, and later sell them through an associate identified as Wasim, who fixed the price and arranged final buyers,” the DCP said. Police said Khan always carried a firearm for safety. The ownership of the seized mobile phones

is being traced.