High-end phones stolen at AP Dhillon concert in Delhi, 4 held

“Investigation revealed that the accused would work as a team — some members would surround and distract the victim while one or two deftly pick-pocketed or snatched the phone. They particularly targeted large music concerts attended by youngsters carrying the latest iPhones and flagship Samsung devices,” DCP (Crime-II) Vikram Singh said.

The gang had also adopted a professional counter-surveillance technique to prevent immediate tracking, police said.

“Immediately after the theft, iPhones were wrapped in aluminium foil, which effectively blocks all signals including cellular, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth and RFID. This rendered the devices untraceable through Find My iPhone or any other location service,” a police officer said.

Salman was arrested on December 9 near Yamuna Vihar Metro Station. Police said he admitted that he was the one who formed the gang to specifically target high-end luxury mobile phones to maintain his lavish lifestyle.

Police said the raiding team, led by Inspector Ashish Sharma, recovered 40 high-end stolen mobile phones including 8 Apple iPhones, 7 Samsung phones, and devices from OnePlus, Vivo, Oppo brands after intercepting a grey Maruti Suzuki Ignis car.

“The team had started tracking the gang from December 8 but the accused persons kept changing their locations. The stolen phones were swiftly shifted to Ghaziabad where the gang had established contacts in the grey market and sold at throwaway prices within hours,” DCP Singh said.

Police claimed that many of the recovered phones have been verified as stolen in recent cases registered at Prashant Vihar, Shahbad Dairy and IP Estate police stations.

“The gang deliberately operated in densely crowded public places including Metro stations, railway stations, areas outside wine shops and bars, and music concerts. Salman admitted that the gang had been actively operating in Delhi-NCR for several months and had committed scores of thefts, earning lakhs with almost no risk until the present arrest,” DCP Singh said.