New Delhi, May 30 (IANS) In an unusual theft case involving the disappearance of dozens of mobile phones from a sealed courier van in transit, Delhi Police’s South West District unit arrested a 27-year-old man and recovered 31 stolen smartphones worth Rs 12 lakh, along with the vehicle used in the commission of the crime.

The accused, Jitender Kumar, a resident of Saidalampur village in Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh, was arrested following multiple raids across Faridabad, Aligarh, Rajasthan, and Raipur, the police said.

According to a press release issued by Deputy Commissioner of Police, South West District, Surendra Choudhary, the theft was first reported through an online FIR on April 22, after a shipment of 1,019 mobile phones was transported from Noida to a delivery point in Mahipalpur, Delhi. Upon unloading, it was discovered that 38 phones were missing, despite no signs of breakage or tampering with the cartons.

“The PS Vasant Kunj North team cracked an intriguing case where 38 phones vanished from sealed boxes without any physical damage to the packaging,” the statement read.

A police team led by Sub Inspector Chandan and comprising Head Constable Sunil, HC Anil Nara, HC Amit, HC Gaurav, and Constable Farhaan, under the supervision of Inspector Balbir Singh and ACP Vijay Singh, was formed to investigate the case.

Technical surveillance and secret intelligence pointed to the accused’s whereabouts in Faridabad, leading to his arrest.

During interrogation, Jitender revealed that the courier van’s driver, Kuldeep, was an accomplice who tipped off the gang. While the vehicle was in motion, Jitender and his associates, Keshav and Mehsana, broke the seal, accessed the boxes, and extracted 38 phones before resealing the cartons, leaving no visible trace.

“The stolen phones were distributed across multiple states, including Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, for resale,” the release stated.

Over the course of an 8-day police custody remand, continuous raids led to the recovery of 31 out of 38 stolen phones, with further efforts underway to track down the co-accused and remaining items.

Jitender was previously involved in two other theft cases, one in Gurugram involving the theft of eight laptops and another in Noida linked to the theft of 180 mobile phones.

The police also recovered a toolkit used to break and reseal the packages, confirming the high level of planning and coordination in the operation.

The case is registered under E-FIR No. 80040058/2025, U/s 303(2) BNS, and further investigation is ongoing to apprehend the remaining accused and recover the remaining phones.

–IANS

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