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Keralam police officer booked for stealing lost Redmi phone, selling it for ₹1,500
A senior police officer in Keralam has been booked for allegedly stealing a mobile phone and selling it for ₹1,500.
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A senior police officer in Keralam has been booked for allegedly stealing a mobile phone and selling it for ₹1,500. The accused has been identified as Y Biju, a 41-year-old officer attached to Kasaragod's Chandera police station.
Here’s what happened
According to a report in The Hindu, on October 8, a migrant worker found a phone lying on the road and handed it over to the police. Biju was on guard duty at the time. He allegedly took the phone from the drawer where it was kept in the police station and, a few days later, sold it to a resident of his village for ₹1,500.
(Also read: SI steals ₹20K from truck driver in Hamirpur, arrested, suspended)
A receipt of the phone was recorded in the guard duty register. Police tracked down the owner of the phone and discovered that it belonged to one Subadra, a homemaker. When Subadra’s son went to the police station a week later, the phone could not be found.
A report in Manorama Online identified the phone model as Redmi Note 9 Pro, which is valued at ₹10,000.
Police investigate theft
Police circulated a message in the WhatsApp group of station personnel, asking anyone who may have moved the phone to return it. When the device could not be traced, SI Vishnu S Nair initiated an inquiry.
With the help of the cyber wing, police traced the phone using its International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number. The check revealed that a new SIM card had been inserted into the device on October 14.
(Also read: 4 police personnel arrested for stealing gold and cash from Bangladeshi national)
Further investigation showed that the phone was connecting to mobile towers in Neerchal and was being used by Mohammed Aris K, a resident of the same village.
Police summoned Aris to Chandera police station. He appeared on October 24 and handed over the phone to the police. During questioning, Aris revealed that an acquaintance, who is a cop, had sold him the Redmi phone on October 13.
After checking the duty roster, Chandera police realised that Biju had been on guard duty when the phone went missing. CCTV footage helped solidify the case against him. The footage showed Biju taking the phone from the drawer on the night of October 12 and breaking the SIM card into small pieces.
The Keralam cop threw the pieces behind the police station. They were recovered during the investigation.
"We have arrested him now, It is a serious offence. He is likely to be remanded in judicial custody," Chandera Sub-Inspector Vishnu S Nair said.
Baiju has been booked for trespass and theft. If convicted, he faces up to 14 years in prison.
