New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) The Delhi Police’s Dwarka District on Friday arrested three accused in connection with the theft of a large consignment of smartphones that were being transported to an e-commerce facility in Gurugram, Haryana.

During police custody remand, officials recovered 604 brand-new mobile phones worth approximately Rs 1.5 crore, marking a major breakthrough in the investigation.

According to the police, an e-FIR (No. 80050773/2026) under Sections 303(2), 316(4), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at Police Station Sector-23, Dwarka, on June 20 following a complaint by Ravi, the manager of a warehouse.

The complainant informed police that around 4,500 brand-new smartphones had been loaded onto a truck for delivery to a warehouse in Gurugram, Haryana. During transit, the truck driver, allegedly in connivance with his associates, dishonestly removed nearly 1,500 mobile phones from the consignment before abandoning the truck with the remaining goods in Gurugram and fleeing the scene.

To crack the case, a special investigation team comprising ASI Mangtu Ram, Head Constables Sher Singh, Vicky, Sanjay and Anil, along with Constable Rajesh, was constituted under the supervision of Inspector Bijender Chhillar, SHO of PS Sector-23 Dwarka, and under the overall guidance of ACP Kishore Kumar Rewala.

During the investigation, the police team meticulously examined footage from more than 200 CCTV cameras installed along the suspected route taken by the truck. Based on technical surveillance and manual investigation, officers identified a pickup vehicle allegedly used to transport the stolen smartphones.

Further inquiry revealed that the pickup vehicle, along with a portion of the stolen mobile phones, had already been recovered by the Knowledge Park Police Station in Uttar Pradesh. The three accused arrested in that case were identified as Pankaj alias Dhirender, Anand alias Rudresh, and Mohit alias Pundir.

Delhi Police subsequently obtained production warrants, formally arrested all three accused in the present case, and interrogated them.

Acting on information provided during questioning, the investigating team conducted a raid at a garden in Bhighepur village in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district. During the operation, police recovered 604 brand-new Vivo smartphones that had allegedly been concealed there.

Police investigations further revealed that the accused have criminal antecedents and have allegedly been involved in similar cases of theft and misappropriation of mobile phone consignments registered in different states.

The arrested accused have been identified as Pankaj alias Dhirender and Anand alias Rudresh, both residents of Nangla Farid village in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district, and Mohit alias Pundir, a resident of Tikri Kalan village in Hathras district.

According to the police, the accused are habitual offenders who specifically target high-value electronic consignments during transit. They allegedly remove expensive goods from transport vehicles and later dispose of the stolen property through their associates.

Investigators said the interrogation of the accused has yielded important leads regarding other members of the syndicate. Efforts are currently underway to apprehend the remaining accused and recover the rest of the stolen mobile phones.

Further investigation into the case is ongoing.

–IANS

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