Mumbai: Mobile Theft and Digital Fraud Racket Busted by LLT Police; Four Arrested From Nashik

The Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) Railway Police have uncovered a gang involved in stealing mobile phones and siphoning money through online transfers. Four members of the gang were arrested from Nashik. They have been identified as Shubham Tatya Modhale, Khudbuddin Bashir Shaikh, Nurmohammad Babu Madari and Altaf Nurmohammad Madari. Police have recovered three stolen mobile phones and cash amounting to ₹70,000 from their possession.

The complainant in this case is a 24-year-old youth from Malda in Kolkata. On 19 August 2025, he had arrived at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus to board a train back to Kolkata. During this time, three unidentified men stole his mobile phone and fled. Using the stolen device, the accused transferred ₹40,700 from his bank account through online applications, resulting in financial fraud. When the victim realised the fraud, he approached the LTT Railway Police and lodged a complaint. Based on this, police registered a case under charges of theft, cheating and relevant sections of the IT Act.

Following the registration of the case, a police team began an investigation. CCTV footage from the railway station was seized, and efforts were made to identify the suspects. Technical analysis and the CCTV visuals helped police trace Shubham Modhale, Khudbuddin Shaikh, Nurmohammad Madari and Altaf Madari. All four were detained from different locations and later arrested. During police custody, the accused confessed to the crime, and police recovered three stolen mobile phones along with ₹70,000 in cash from them.

Investigation revealed that the accused belong to a gang known as the Madari gang. Their modus operandi involved borrowing mobile phones under the pretext of making a call and fleeing with them. Using the stolen phones, they transferred money from the victim’s account through apps such as Google Pay and PhonePe. After committing such thefts, the gang would escape to their hometown Yeola in Nashik. Police suspect that the gang has been involved in several similar offences in the past.