Bike taxi driver held with pistol, stolen cellphones

A 36-year-old Rapido bike taxi driver, Saleem Khan, was arrested near Seemapuri in connection with an organised mobile phone theft network. Saleem, a resident of Old Mustafabad, North East Delhi, was found in possession of a country-made pistol, two live cartridges and eleven stolen mobile phones. He has been booked under relevant sections of the Arms Act.

According to the police, the arrest follows an investigation by the Crime Branch into gangs involved in mobile phone theft in North East Delhi. Technical surveillance and inputs from local informers helped identify Saleem as a key intermediary in the theft and distribution of stolen phones.

Saleem disclosed that he purchased stolen phones from pickpockets operating in the Delhi Metro and local buses. He then sold these phones to an individual named Wasim, who determined the price and final buyers.