Eight persons selling stolen mobile phones held

Eight members of an interstate gang selling stolen mobile phones after erasing their IMEI numbers have been arrested and a total of 735 expensive handsets valued over Rs 1 crore seized from them, a police officer said.

The arrested were identified as Shakil Ahmad, Aslam, Rinku, Gaurav Mittal, Rajender Aggarwal, Gaurav Kumar, Khalid, Irfan, all in the age group of 25-30 years, the officer said.

"Three of the accused - Shakil Ahmad, Aslam and Rinku - were apprehended on February 21 after they came from Mewat (Haryana) to south Delhi to meet one of their accomplice," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Romil Banniya.

"On questioning, they told police they worked for Qayyum, a mobile shop owner and a resident of Jurhera in Rajasthan, who took stolen mobile phones from Kallu and Gaurav Mittal who have mobile shops at Sitaram Bazar here," he said, adding the two were also arrested along with Aggarwal and others accused.

Banniya said that the gang members told police that they used to change IMEI numbers of stolen mobile phones from Gaffar Market at Karol Bagh with the help of Gaurav Kumar who had a mobile shop there and used to sell refreshed mobile phones to various receivers and dealers in Mewat, Punjab, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh.

Kumar charged Rs 200-300 per phone for IMEI change and Rs 50 per phone for flashing and unlocking the locking pattern, he added.

--IANS

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