Duo arrested, phones worth Rs 50 lakh recovered

The police have arrested two alleged thieves and recovered 38 iPhones worth Rs 50 lakh from their possession. The police said that the duo worked at the warehouse

The police have arrested two alleged thieves and recovered 38 iPhones worth Rs 50 lakh from their possession. The police said that the duo worked at the warehouse of an e-commerce delivery platform in Bilaspur and has stolen 78 iPhones worth Rs 1 crore, by taking advantage of the relaxation in physical checks during the lockdown to stall the transmission of Covid-19.

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They were produced in court on Saturday and sent to one-day police remand.

The city police on Saturday identified the two accused as Ansar Ul Haq and Nawab Singh, both residents of Nuh, and were arrested on Thursday and Friday, respectively. The police said that the duo had hidden 38 mobile phones and they had planned to sell them in the near future. The phones were recovered on their instance, said officials, adding that they have taken them on a one-day remand.

“The duo was working at a warehouse and during the lockdown, they managed to steal expensive smartphones as there was no physical checking due to Covid-19. The accused would throw the boxes in the warehouse after taking the mobile phones from the boxes. By the time the company came to know of the theft in September, the duo had quit the job,” said Preet Pal Sangwan, the assistant commissioner of police (crime), Gurugram.

The police said an official of the e-commerce company had complained to the Bilaspur police on November 7, stating that they have found 78 empty boxes of expensive iPhones and that these were stolen from the warehouse. A case was registered and the crime unit of Sector 10 and the police started a probe in the matter.

The accused were arrested after sustained technical and human surveillance. During questioning, they revealed the modus operandi used by them, said officials.

“During the investigation, the role of two more persons has also been found and they would also be arrested soon,” said Sangwan, adding that the remaining phones will also be recovered from their associates.