In what appears to be the plot of Bollywood's popular movie ‘Bunty & Babli’, a real-life con duo from Delhi has been arrested by the police after a string of audacious thefts.
The con couple, identified as Pawan Kumar Bir Singh and Anita Sharma, were apprehended on a train near Bihar's Bodh Gaya last week, following their alleged involvement in the theft of 38 laptops from a Nagpur trader, The Times of India reported.
The duo, who adopted the moniker 'Bunty and Babli' of the famed movie characters, are also accused of stealing 85 laptops valued at a staggering ₹35 lakh from a shop in Noida.
READ | 2000 CCTV footage, joint 6-state probe: How rape accused, who killed 5 in a month, was caught in Gujarat
According to the police, the criminals stole at least 150 laptops from different cities and subsequently sold them in the grey markets of Delhi.
TOI further reported that after a successful heist, Pawan and Anita would escape to holiday destinations until their ill-gotten gains ran dry, just like the prime characters in the movie.
{{/usCountry}}TOI further reported that after a successful heist, Pawan and Anita would escape to holiday destinations until their ill-gotten gains ran dry, just like the prime characters in the movie.
{{/usCountry}}After concluding the recent heist in Nagpur, they had set their sights on conducting a robbery in Puri when police caught wind of their plans and caught them.
Acting on a complaint from a showroom owner, the Bajaj Nagar police launched a probe and seized 12 laptops from the grey market in Delhi.
READ | Mumbai woman duped of ₹3.8 crore in ‘longest’ digital arrest case in India: Report
The duo had reportedly sold these brand-new stolen gadgets at bargain prices ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 each, with grey market traders then reselling them for ₹25,000 to ₹30,000.
How Pawan, Anita lured traders
Pawan and Anita approached laptop traders under the guise of directors of an IT company and used their charm and ingenuity to seal deals with them, TOI reported adding that their smooth talk and Anita’s proficient English managed to win over the showroom owner, who willingly supplied 38 laptops to be set up as workstations in a rented hall near Laxmi Nagar.
However, the following day, the couple vanished, taking the laptops with them and shutting off their cell phones.
READ | Woman killed, body stuffed in gunny bags found near Mumbai-Pune Expressway
Anita and Pawan were caught using advanced cellphone surveillance techniques, due to which the police were able to trace them on a train in Bihar, leading to their capture on November 16.
The con duo was sent to police remand till November 23.