Two arrested for robbing truck carrying 900 iPhones worth Rs 2.25 crore

The Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested two people for allegedly robbing a truck carrying over 900 iPhones of the 5s series worth Rs 2.25 crore

The Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested two people for allegedly robbing a truck carrying over 900 iPhones of the 5s series worth Rs 2.25 crore. The incident was reported from south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area. Police have also recovered an Ecco car used in the crime.

Police officials inspect the iPhone consignment that was seized. (Sonu Mehta/HT Photo)

While two men, Mehtab Alam (24) and Arman (22) have been arrested, Bhola, Rahul and Jitender managed to escape. According to the police, the robbery was pre-planned as Bhola used to work with the company that transported the mobile phones to retail shops and had left the job only two weeks ago.

According to police, the iPhones, the retail price for one is Rs 25,000, were being transported on an Eicher Canter from Beetel Company in Okhla to Mudita Express Cargo in Dwarka Sector-28, when the robbers struck.

The driver of the vehicle, Kalam Singh, told the police that he had reached Rajokri flyover around 11.45pm when a polythene bag with red powder, flew inside through the window and landed on the passenger seat. He, however, ignored the polythene thinking it might be trash. After a few minutes, his hands and eyes started itching and he had to stop the truck on the roadside to wash his face.

“Singh told us that the men held him hostage and drove the truck around. He heard one of them say that they were taking the truck to a cemetery,” a senior police officer said.

At the cemetery, the iPhones were transferred from the truck to an Ecco car. According to Singh, all the phones did not fit inside the Ecco so the men called another person to send a vehicle to load the other phones.

“Singh said that another person who came on a bike, joined the two men. Singh was dumped somewhere near Najafgarh after which he approached his transporter, Malkhan Singh,” a senior police officer said.

During investigation, Malkhan Singh told police that he suspected two drivers — Bhola and Pradeep — who had left the job two weeks ago, to be behind the incident.

During investigation, the police recreated the crime scene and tracked three possible routes that the robbers could have taken. “CCTV footage from all three routes was checked and the Eicher Canter which was used to transport the phones was spotted in footage of Sector-E in Vasant Kunj,” additional DCP, Nupur Prasad, said.

During questioning, Mehtab and Arman confessed to the crime and revealed the names of three more accomplices- Bhola, Rahul and Jitender. Raids are on to arrest them.