Delhi: Police bust mobile theft syndicate, 44 iPhones recovered

Delhi Police has busted a gang involved in receiving and dismantling stolen high-end mobile phones and recovered 44 suspectedly stolen devices, including 43 Apple iPhones and one Samsung Fold phone, during a raid in Dev Nagar area of Karol Bagh, an official on Friday said.

Among the seized items was a snatched iPhone 15, identified as case property in a recent robbery incident reported in the IP Estate area, police said.

The accused, identified as Navdeep Kaur (26) and Ramandeep Bhangu (33), came to Delhi in search of better earning opportunities but eventually turned to crime after facing financial struggles in the mobile repair business.

“Navdeep Kaur, a B.Sc graduate, is a mobile repair technician from Bhatinda in Punjab. He teamed up to receive stolen mobile phones, dismantle them and sell the parts in the gray market,” said the officer.

The case came to light after a snatching incident was reported in the IP Estate area on June 24, police said.

The police teams tracked the location of the snatched iPhone 15 to Dev Nagar, leading to a raid on June 26.

Kaur was arrested from her residence and the stolen iPhone along with 44 other suspected stolen mobile phones and a large number of dismantled iPhone parts recovered, they said.

Kaur during interrogation revealed the involvement of two other accomplices, Sanjeev Kumar, who is currently absconding, and Ramandeep Bhangu, who was later arrested from Nahan in Himachal Pradesh while attempting to flee to Nepal, police said.

Bhangu admitted to purchasing stolen phones from a woman in Karol Bagh after which they dismantled the devices and sold the components to repair shops, they said.

Police said that 11 of the recovered mobile phones have already been linked to different FIRs registered across the city, confirming the operation of an organized syndicate dealing in stolen devices.

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“The recovered dismantled parts are also suspected to be from other stolen iPhones and further examination is underway,” said the officer.

Bhangu, who has a criminal record, was previously arrested in a similar case registered in Punjab’s Bhatinda in which around 70 stolen mobile phones were recovered, police said.

Efforts are on to identify the woman supplying the stolen devices and to apprehend Sanjeev Kumar, they said.

Further investigation is in progress, police said.