AHMEDABAD: Ahmedabad Police squad arrested two persons of an inter-state mobile theft gang targeting crowded IPL match venues, and seized 21 stolen mobile phones and other valuables.
Acting on intelligence inputs, the Ahmedabad City Zone-3 team led by DCP Rupal Solanki swooped in near Kalupur railway station and intercepted the two accused--Raghu Mahto and Vikram Mahto. The police seized stolen goods and other travel documents such as Aadhaar cards and flight tickets.
Investigators revealed that the accused arrived from Jharkhand by flight and targeted IPL crowds near packed metro exits, stadium gates, and other transit hubs.
“The moment the accused snatches a mobile, it disappears instantly hidden inside a specially designed vest. There is no second glance, no suspicion,” said DCP Rupal Solanki, detailing the gang’s slick execution model.
From outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to Ahmedabad’s IPL match on April 4, the gang was already active, lifting phones in seconds.
From Mehsana to Anand, from Adalaj to Kalupur station, no phones were spared.
But the real game began after the theft. Phones were immediately wrapped in silver foil to cut off signals and block traceability to buy time for the thieves. If a device was unlocked, it turned into an instant digital goldmine.
“In some cases, they downloaded payment apps like Google Pay, accessed OTPs via active SIMs, and transferred money within minutes,” Solanki added, confirming cyber fraud layers within the theft operation.
Police have already registered 12 offences, while several victims remain unidentified due to unlocked phones with no immediate ownership trace.
One accomplice is still missing. Police believe he played a key role during both Bengaluru and Ahmedabad IPL matches and may hold further links to the interstate network.
The structure of the gang was equally calculated three layers deep. One executed the theft. Another relayed the device. A third, positioned 100–200 meters away, secured the stash making real-time recovery nearly impossible. The chaos of fans, families, and children became their cover.
And once the haul was complete, they vanished. Phones were transported back to villages in Jharkhand’s Sahebganj district, sold cheap, dismantled, or passed through informal rural markets leaving almost no digital footprint.
Police said further investigation is on.