Gamdevi Police in Mumbai have arrested seven people allegedly linked to an inter-state pickpocketing gang and recovered 42 stolen mobile phones worth around Rs 16 lakh, police said.
The investigation began after a commuter reported that his smartphone had been stolen while he was travelling on a crowded bus between Cumballa Hill and Pedder Road.
Police said the investigation eventually led them to Mankhurd and Shivaji Nagar in Mumbai and to Rajasthan, where the alleged mastermind was arrested.
Commuter allegedly targeted on crowded bus
According to police, the accused allegedly created a commotion and deliberately jostled the complainant inside the crowded bus before stealing his mobile phone.
Gamdevi police registered a case in the matter and began investigations.
Police said they used technical surveillance, mobile location tracking and information from confidential sources during the investigation.
The probe allegedly revealed that the accused were part of a wider network targeting commuters on public transport routes across Mumbai.
Police teams subsequently conducted operations in Mankhurd and Shivaji Nagar, where six alleged members were arrested.
A separate team travelled to Rajasthan and arrested the alleged main accused.
Seven people arrested
The arrested accused have been identified as Aftab Abad Ansari, 26, Hasan Abbas Shaikh, 35, Chand Mohammad Mohammad Sultan, 53, Imtiyaz Imamali Shaikh, 46, Azam Akram Qureshi, 32, Swapnil Shankar Sonawane, 29 and Rajab Ali Mohammad Taqi Shaikh alias Chikna, 32.
During the operation, police recovered the complainant's stolen phone along with 41 other mobile handsets allegedly stolen from commuters on different public transport routes in Mumbai.
The recovered phones are valued at around Rs 16 lakh, according to police.
Investigators are now working to identify the owners of the recovered devices and return them to their rightful owners where possible.
Senior officers supervise investigation
The operation was carried out under the supervision of senior Mumbai Police officers, including Commissioner Deven Bharati, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Manoj Kumar Sharma, Additional Commissioner of Police (South Region) Shailesh Balkawade, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2) Ragasudha R and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Gamdevi Division) Suman Chavan.
The field operation was led by Senior Police Inspector Prashant Mohite, Police Inspector (Crime) Rajiv Patil, Assistant Police Inspectors Pratap Desai and Amit Devkar, and Police Sub-Inspector Yuvraj Jagtap, along with other personnel from Gamdevi Police Station.
Further investigation is underway, officials said.
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