The Western Express Highway (WEH), Mumbai's busiest north-south corridor, is fast emerging as a hotspot for organised mobile phone snatching gangs, with police sources pointing to poor surveillance, strategic escape routes, and repeat offenders operating from the city's eastern suburbs.
An investigation by mid-day found that critical stretches between Dahisar and Bandra suffer from inadequate or non-functional CCTV coverage, making it easier for thieves to strike and disappear.
No CCTV cameras were found along this stretch of the Western Express Highway
While police have recently cracked a 10-case snatching racket and arrested two accused from Govandi, officers admit that gaps in surveillance continue to hamper investigations along the 26-km corridor.
Why it matters
When snatchers leave the highway and enter adjoining lanes or service roads, investigators often lose their trail.
Victim profile
>> Autorickshaw passengers
>> Commuters using phones for calls, navigation or messaging
>> Travellers stuck in slow-moving traffic
Target locked: Why premium iPhones are being targeted
CCTV cameras installed over a highway section near Bandra East
According to police sources, thieves are highly selective and primarily target expensive smartphones.
Preferred target:
>> iPhone Pro 17 models
Police sources claim the phones’ distinctive bright orange or saffron-coloured backs make them easy to identify from a distance while scanning traffic.
How the gangs operate
Spot the target
Snatchers identify commuters holding expensive phones in slow-moving traffic.
Ride alongside
Two accused travel on motorcycles, often using partial or altered number plates.
Strike swiftly
The pillion rider snatches the phone from the victim’s hand.
Vanish completely
The duo quickly disappears through service roads and side lanes.
Crime map: Major hotspots
>> Samta Nagar
>> Kurar
>> Dindoshi
>> Vanrai
>> Jogeshwari
>> Andheri
The investigation found that...
>> Mobile snatching is concentrated along the Western Express Highway
>> Several CCTV cameras are either non-functional or provide poor-quality footage
>> Most thefts target passengers travelling in auto-rickshaws
>> Premium iPhone models are the preferred targets
>> Arrested accused in recent cases are linked to Govandi
>> Police solved recent cases using informants, private CCTV footage and technical analysis
The blind spots
Police sources said surveillance infrastructure along large sections of the highway remains inadequate.
Key concerns:
>> Sparse CCTV coverage between Dahisar and Bandra
>> Cameras largely installed only at exit points
>> Several cameras not functioning
>> Poor image quality makes vehicle identification difficult
>> Service roads remain largely unmonitored
The digital alibi trick
Police say accused have developed methods to avoid detection.
Modus operandi
>> Suspects leave their mobile phones at home or with acquaintances.
>> Calls are made from those phones while the accused commit crimes elsewhere.
>> Investigators checking Call Detail Records (CDRs) are shown a misleading location trail.
Police workaround
To crack recent cases, officers relied on:
>> Private CCTV footage
>> Human intelligence networks
>> Behavioural analysis
>> Technical surveillance
Experts call for...
>> High-definition CCTV cameras and seamless coverage on highways
>> Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems
>> Surveillance at every Metro station
>> Constant monitoring of foot overbridges
Case File
Date June 1, 2026
Victim A woman travelling by auto-rickshaw to Kandivli East from Powai.
Location
Near Akurli Metro Station on the Western Express Highway.
What happened
Two motorcycle-borne men allegedly snatched her iPhone 17 at around 11.50 pm.
Arrested
>> Zaid Sharif Qureshi, 20
>> Mohd Moin Yamin Qureshi alias Mona, 25
Police claim
>> Accused traced to Shivaji Nagar, Govandi
>> 10 mobile snatching offences detected
>> Cases linked to Andheri, Jogeshwari, Goregaon, Dindoshi, Kasturba Marg, Samta Nagar, and Dahisar jurisdictions
Property seized
>> One Pulsar NS motorcycle
>> Two Samsung mobile phones
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