Racket smuggling stolen phones to Nepal, Bangladesh busted; 3 in police net

In a major cross-border smuggling bust, the Delhi Police on Wednesday said they had unearthed a network of traffickers who were engaged in trafficking stolen devices to neighbouring countries such as Nepal and Bangladesh, and had arrested three men.

The accused identified as Motahar Shekh (33), Mohd Gulu Shekh (33) and Abdul Shamim (22), all residents of West Bengal’s Malda were engaged in smuggling stolen devices. According to officials, acting on a tip-off, an STF team laid a trap near Waste to Wonder Park, Sarai Kale Khan, on Tuesday evening and apprehended the trio around 7.15 pm.

The cops seized 228 mobile phones, three country-made pistols and six live cartridges.

Preliminary interrogation revealed that Motahar was the racket lynchpin. He, along with his associates, procured stolen and snatched mobile phones from street criminals across Delhi at throwaway prices.

The gang then routed the devices through carriers and middlemen to Nepal and Bangladesh, where they fetched high profits. “This syndicate was fuelling street crime in the city by creating demand for stolen phones and simultaneously running illegal cross-border trade. With their arrest, a major interstate and international racket has been unearthed,” the DCP concerned said.