735 stolen phones worth ₹1.3 crore seized, 8 arrested

THE GANG SOUGHT THE HELP OF AN ENGINEER IN DELHI’S GAFFAR MARKET FOR CHANGING THE IMEI NUMBER OF THE STOLEN PHONES

Cracking down on an organised gang of mobile thieves operating in the city, police arrested eight men and recovered 735 stolen mobile phones worth ₹1.3 crore from them.

The gang sought the help of an engineer in Delhi’s Gaffar Market for changing the IMEI number of the stolen phones before selling them at low prices.

The arrested men include thieves, mobile phone shop owners, who would buy from the thieves and the engineer.

Police said the gang particularly targeted high-end mobile phones as they brought greater profit with little investment on giving them a new and undetectable look.

Initial arrests in the case were made on February 21 when the South-East Delhi district police were tipped off about three men arriving in Delhi to receive stolen phones, said Romil Baaniya, DCP (South-East).

The trio was arrested and a search of their car led to the recovery of 18 phones. They allegedly revealed the identity of the people from whom they bought the phones.

Investigation yielded 717 mobile phones and resulted in the arrest of another five members of the racket. Police pegged the actual cost of the phones at around ₹1.3 crore.

The Gaffar Market engineer who used to allegedly change the IMEI number of the phones has been identified as Gaurav Kumar. He would charge ₹200300 for IMEI change of each phone. For unlocking these phones, he would charge an additional ₹50.

A search of his shop in Gaffar Market led police to the software and accessories he used to make the changes and give the phones a new look. The items have been seized.