Delhi Police bust international mobile phone smuggling racket run by engineer who collaborated with thieves
The Delhi Police said they seized 195 high-value stolen mobile phones worth approximately Rs 2 crore from the possession of the 36-year-old engineer.
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During the raid, a large cache of stolen phones, including 39 iPhones, 52 Samsung, 45 OnePlus, Google Pixel and other high-end brands, were seized. (Credit: Pixabay)The cyber cell of the Delhi Police Crime Branch arrested a man from north Delhi’s Wazirabad village on Monday for allegedly smuggling stolen mobile phones internationally. They also recovered “195 high-value stolen mobile phones worth approximately Rs 2 crore” from his possession.
Sanjay Kumar Sain, additional commissioner of police (cyber cell), on Tuesday informed that the accused, Manish Yadav, 36, an engineer from Loni in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, “collaborated with a network of juveniles and thieves tasking them to steal mobile phones from crowded areas in Delhi-NCR, like Metro stations, buses, and marketplaces”. “Yadav purchased these stolen devices at low prices and sold them in bulk to neighbouring countries,” he said.
The investigation was led by Inspector Sandeep Singh and supervised by Assistant Commissioner of Police Pawan Kumar. The team included Sub Inspectors Harvinder and Bhagyashri, and High Constables Anand and Pankaj Gupta. It began with a tip-off about the illegal trade of stolen phones.
After technical analysis and ground-level intelligence, a trap was laid in Gali No. 6 in Wazirabad village and Yadav was arrested while he was trying to flee.
“During the raid, a large cache of stolen phones – including 39 iPhones, 52 Samsung, 45 OnePlus, Google Pixel and other high-end brands – were seized,” said ACP Sain. He said 29 of them were connected with different incidents of theft or lost reports, while 38 phones were found to be unlisted on official records. The police stations concerned were notified regarding the recovery, said the officer. Sain added, “128 phones are inactive, likely due to battery discharge… We are trying to unlock and trace the rightful owners of the recovered phones.”
He said that Yadav, an engineer at a private firm, is married and has two children. “Due to financial difficulties, he turned to illegal activities in 2023. Initially involved in scrap trading, he started selling stolen mobiles for commissions ranging from Rs 1,000 to 3,000 per phone to a man from Baghpat, Naeem. He has a prior criminal record with four cases registered against him and was arrested in 2017 under similar charges in Khajuri Khas,” said Sain.
The police booked the accused, and further investigations were underway.
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