The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has arrested two individuals reportedly employed on a monthly salary of Rs 25,000 to steal mobile phones. The gang then used to unlock these high-end phones and sell them in Nepal and Bangladesh, having deleted all data and erased the memory.
According to TOI reports, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch, acting on a tip-off, conducted raids leading to the arrest of Avinash Mahto (19) and Shyam Kurmi (26), residents of Surat. A total of 58 mobile phones were recovered, including 29 iPhones and nine OnePlus phones, with a market value of Rs 20.60 lakh.
Reports indicate that Avinash and Shyam, who were working as laborers in Jharkhand, were recruited by Avinash's elder brothers, Pintoo Mahato, and Rahul Mahato, who were already engaged in mobile thefts in Gujarat. Avinash and Shyam were enticed into the operation with a promised fixed monthly salary of Rs 25,000.
According to TOI reports, the duo underwent a 45-day training period before executing thefts in crowded areas. The modus operandi involved working in pairs, with one member grabbing a phone and passing it to the other. The second member would then transfer the phone to an accomplice standing at a distance with a bag, before rejoining the crowd. If any member was apprehended, the others would swiftly escape.
Avinash and Shyam disclosed that their thefts spanned several cities, including Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Anand, and Rajkot. The duo resided in a house near the Surat railway station. Notably, authorities recorded 19 complaints of mobile thefts in the areas where the gang operated.