Four arrested with 45 stolen phones from Ganpati visarjan sites

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested four members of an inter-state gang involved in stealing and smuggling high-end mobile phones from visarjan sites in Mumbai to Nepal.

Acting on a tip-off, the Crime Branch identified the accused as Shakil (49), son of Shamim and resident of Dilshad Colony, Seemapuri, Delhi; Shafiq (34), son of Moinuddin and resident of Shuklaganj, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh; Shamshul Hasan (40), son of Ziaul Hasan and resident of Nand Nagri, Delhi; and Dilshad (36), son of Sadiq Ali and resident of Chamanganj, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

According to police, the accused were found in possession of 45 stolen mobile phones, many of which had been recently snatched during the Lalbaugcha Raja procession and Ganpati Visarjan in Mumbai. The gang specialised in targeting large gatherings such as religious festivals and processions, exploiting heavy crowds to steal phones in bulk.

The operation was led by Inspector Gurmeet Singh under the supervision of ACP Sunil Srivastava of the Crime Branch, following intelligence that the gang members were returning from Mumbai to Delhi by train. Based on surveillance, a team was deployed at Mathura Railway Station, where officers boarded the Haridwar Express to intercept the suspects. The four men were apprehended at Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station with the stolen devices.

All four have prior criminal records across multiple states. Investigations revealed that Shakil, the kingpin, has been running the racket for over a decade and previously served jail terms in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Jammu & Kashmir.

His associates joined due to financial distress, with past cases of theft, liquor, and arms. Police said the stolen phones, bound for Nepal via Rijwan, are linked to Mumbai FIRs. The bust exposed the organised racket; further probes continue.