Five snatchers arrested in Greater Noida, 40 cellphones recovered

The police, on Wednesday, arrested five men of a gang involved in stealing cellphones and selling them to unsuspecting buyers. The police recovered 40 stolen cellphones

The police, on Wednesday, arrested five men of a gang involved in stealing cellphones and selling them to unsuspecting buyers. The police recovered 40 stolen cellphones and one motorcycle from their possession. The police added that the suspects were wanted in over 40 cases of thefts and snatching in Greater Noida alone and are now investigating if these five were part of a bigger gang.

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The accused were identified as Monu from Meerut, Vishal and Sunil from Jharkhand, Pappu from Bihar, and Suman from West Bengal. The gang members lived on rent in Bisrakh.

GB Nagar superintendent of police (rural) Kumar Ranvijay Singh said, “The suspects used to operate in Noida and Greater Noida, and sell the stolen valuables to innocent buyers looking for cheap deals.”

The arrests were made on Wednesday after the police received information about movement of suspected criminals near Jagat Farm. “Police signalled two men riding a bike to stop for checking. The team found they were carrying a number of cellphones. During interrogation, the suspects revealed that they were part of a gang that stole cellphones,” he said, adding that the men also revealed that three of their accomplices would be reaching the spot in an autorickshaw.

“The police team stationed themselves at the spot and stopped the autorickshaw for checking. The police arrested accomplices of the two arrested suspects and recovered a total of 40 stolen cellphones from the five men,” he said.

Singh said the gang used to get into buses and shared autos and steal mobile phones from passengers, and swiftly pass them on to their accomplices, who would switch off the cellphones and get down at the next stand. They used to snatch cellphones earlier, the police said.

“They also stationed themselves at isolated locations and snatched cellphones from vulnerable people. We have found that they were wanted in over 40 cases of thefts and snatching in Greater Noida,” he said.

The five persons were produced in court and sent to judicial custody. Police said they are investigating their network to see if whether more men are involved in the gang.