Mobile Theft: 3 From J’khand Among 5 Held For Stealing Phones | Bhubaneswar News
Koraput: Three from Jharkhand and two from West Bengal were arrested by the police on Thursday for stealing mobile phones and 50 handsets were recovered from them.
“The gang was involved in smuggling the stolen phones to Bangladesh through a middleman,” SDPO (Jeypore) Ankit Verma said.
The accused were identified as Bishal Kumar Mahto (22), Hari Kumar Mahto (30) and Uttam Turi (22), all from Babupur village in Jharkhand.The two from West Bengal are minors. They had received two weeks of training in snatching mobile phones.
An investigation was launched following a series of mobile thefts at Jeypore town police station on September 6 and 7. According to Verma, the surge in thefts was unprecedented. “CCTV footage from the town area confirmed that culprits from outside the town were involved in these organized crimes,” Verma said.
A special police team was formed after discovering that the gang was staying in Jharsuguda. The team apprehended the five and recovered the stolen phones along with four jari bags used in the crimes.
During interrogation, the accused revealed they had been staying in Jharsuguda for the past three years, specialising in mobile phone theft. “They confessed to stealing nearly 3,000 mobile phones from across the state,” Verma said.
Detailing the gang’s modus operandi, Verma said at least three members were involved in each theft. “One would create a diversion with the jari bag, while another would snatch the phone and hand it over to the third person, who would flee with the stolen phone,” Verma said.
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