Kolkata, Oct. 25 -- The Mumbai Police, with assistance from the Kolkata Police, have busted an alleged international mobile phone theft and smuggling syndicate, arresting three key operatives from Kolkata and recovering around 191 stolen handsets.
The arrested men have been identified as alleged kingpin Mohammad Mustafa and his associates, Danish Lodi and Sandeep Kumar.
The crackdown began after the LT Marg Police Station in Mumbai intercepted a domestic courier delivery agent, identified as Raj alias Tausif, who was carrying a large box containing stolen mobile phones. During interrogation, he allegedly revealed that the devices were destined for a consolidation hub in Bengal.
Acting on the lead, a Mumbai Police team arrived in Kolkata and conducted raids in the congested Jorasanko and Burrabazar areas, arresting the trio.
Investigators said the syndicate operated an organised cross-border network in which local thieves stole phones across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region before couriering them to Kolkata. The gang allegedly tampered with the handsets' International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers to evade electronic surveillance before smuggling them into Bangladesh for sale on the black market.
The three accused were produced before the Bankshall Court in Kolkata, which granted the Mumbai Police seven days' transit remand.
Further investigation is underway to trace the alleged phone snatchers in Mumbai and the receivers in Bangladesh.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.