10 mobiles stolen from Illenium’s concert; 3 FIRs filed

Over 10 mobile phones, mostly iPhones and OnePlus, were stolen at DJ Illenium's concert in Mumbai. Police suspect organized gangs from different cities.

MUMBAI: The Yellow Gate police have registered three cases after more than ten mobile phones were stolen during American musician and DJ Illenium’s concert at Bayview Lawns in Mazgaon on Friday night.

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Most of the youth who attended the event were aged 16-30 years and were from affluent families, while the mobiles stolen from the event were mostly iPhones or OnePlus phones, said the police.

“Even the watchman who was working in the VIP area near the stage lost his phone, as did several youths. We have registered three cases – the watchman, identified as Mukesh Yadav, is the complainant in the first, while another complainant is Raspreet Singh, a Jaipur resident who lost her iPhone 14 Pro Max,” said a police officer.

Many who attended the event were from outside Mumbai, and those who lost their phones were still approaching the police, the officer said. “One group approached us on Monday,” he added.

The accused in the cases, all unnamed, have been booked under section 379 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code. The Yellow Gate police has sought help in probing the cases from the Tardeo police, who generally deal with cases of mobile theft during concerts at the racecourse in Mahalakshmi.

“Tardeo police have arrested several people in such cases, wherein the accused buy tickets worth ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 and steal mobiles. In the cases that we have registered, mobiles have been stolen from the stage area, so we suspect the accused purchased tickets and stole the phones,” said the police officer.

Police are checking CCTV footage of the event to identify accused. Gangs from New Delhi, Khar, Surat and Malwani are involved in mobile thefts during such events, said sources in the police. They usually purchase tickets for the events, wear good clothes, mix with the crowd and then steal valuables, mostly iPhones, they added.