KOCHI: Members arrived by air and rail on October 6, booked tickets for the DJ Alan Walker gig and left the city early the next morning with 39 mobile phones stolen from concertgoers. Everything seemed to go to plan for the two gangs — one from Delhi and the other based in Mumbai.
But, two weeks on, Kochi city police struck back, arresting the culprits from Delhi and Mumbai. Officers also seized 23 phones. Two cases were registered at Mulavukad police station following complaints concerning missing mobile phones.
Delhi natives Atiq Ur Rehman, 38, and Wasim Ahmed, 31; Sunny Bhola Yadav, from Mumbai, and Uttar Pradesh man Shyam Baranwal were arrested on Saturday. “Atiq and Wasim were with a Delhi-based gang, while Sunny and Shyam were based in Mumbai. We have seized as many as 23 phones from both the gangs. However, we have not been able to link the two groups. Further investigations will be carried out to trace the remaining 16 phones,” said Kochi commissioner Putta Vimaladitya, adding that 20 phones were seized from Delhi and three from Mumbai.
Atiq is an accused in eight cases, including cheating, assault and robbery, with various stations in Delhi. Wasim has also undergone prison terms for theft. “We contacted the police in other states for information on cases involving a similar modus operandi. We realised that Bengaluru Mahadevapura police had registered a case against Wasim for stealing mobile phones during a DJ show in the city in 2022. It was a major lead in our investigations. Moreover, many of the stolen mobile phones were not switched off, which helped us track the accused,” the commissioner said. Attempts were made to sell phone parts in local markets in Mumbai and Delhi, he added.
On the directive of the commissioner and deputy commissioner K S Sudarshan, special investigation teams were formed and sent to Mumbai and Delhi under the leadership of Inspector Shyam Kumar and SI Thomas Pallan. They were supervised by assistant police commissioner C Jayakumar.
The Delhi gang members were shifted to Kochi. The other two accused will be brought to the city from Mumbai on Monday and produced before the court.
Phone recovery
Many of the stolen mobile phones were not switched off, which helped the police track the accused
Attempts were made to sell phone parts in local markets in Mumbai and Delhi
Cops will carry out further investigations to trace the remaining 16 phones