Engineer held in connection with theft of mobile parts from phone manufacturer

An engineer with a multi-national mobile phone manufacturer was arrested by the Noida police on Tuesday for alleged involvement in stealing mobile parts worth at

An engineer with a multi-national mobile phone manufacturer was arrested by the Noida police on Tuesday for alleged involvement in stealing mobile parts worth at least ₹80 lakh from the company.

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The police identified the suspect as Vikas Kumar Garg (35), an engineer with the original equipment manufacturing department of the mobile manufacturer. According to the police, the suspect would facilitate the stealing of the mobile parts when they would be transported to the company’s warehouse.

The incident had first come to fore on July 18 when a company official had filed a complaint with the Phase 2 police alleging that for the past four months, mobile parts were going missing from the company’s warehouse. A case was registered against unidentified persons based on the complaint.

On July 19, a resident of Delhi, Gaurav Sikka, was arrested by Noida police from his shop in Ghaffar market in Delhi while stolen parts like displays, chargers, back covers, were recovered from him, the police said. He would purchase parts from the suspect and his accomplices at reduced prices, said the police.

Three other people, including a driver, were also arrested from Eldeco crossing on July 19 and 18 boxes of mobile display unit were recovered from them along with a car and ₹20.5 lakh cash which they had accumulated after selling stolen goods, the police said. One of them worked with a private firm providing electrical parts to the phone manufacturer.

“During questioning and further investigation, Garg’s involvement in the entire operation came to light,” said deputy commissioner of police, zone 2, Harish Chander.

Police officers said that vehicles transporting merchandise from the company’s plant to the warehouses are sealed, and Garg was responsible for overseeing the process. He had allegedly stolen a few of these seals and kept them at his house.

“While the vehicles would leave for the warehouses, the suspects would add a few extra boxes inside the consignment. Garg would send the stolen seal to the driver, Ashok, who would then break the original seal, remove the extra boxes and then put s stolen seal on the vehicle,” said the DCP.

On directions from Garg, such vehicle seals were recovered from his house in Alpha 2 in Greater Noida.

The suspect was booked under sections 406, 411 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.

“We are questioning him to find out how long the operation had been going on for and how much money they have accumulated” said Chander.

Though police officers were not sure how long Garg had been employed with the company, they said that he was an old employee.

When contacted, officials from the company did not comment on the issue.