Mumbai: In a breakthrough in a series of high-end mobile thefts across the city, Mumbai Police have detained Tipu Sultan, a notorious phone lifter, part of a well-organised inter-state racket targeting premium smartphones.
The arrest follows a blind investigation that began after a 19-year-old MBBS student reported her iPhone 16 stolen outside Sion Hospital on February 27. With no eyewitnesses or description of the accused, the case initially posed a major challenge. A similar complaint filed days earlier by a doctor at Nair Hospital, under the jurisdiction of Agripada police, hinted at a pattern, leading to a coordinated probe.
Details On Probe
According to a Mid-day report, Zone IV of Mumbai Police formed a special team, which relied heavily on CCTV analysis and movement tracking rather than direct evidence. Cops traced suspicious activity to a lodge in Andheri, where the accused had briefly stayed before fleeing the city.
Accused Traced To West Bengal
The trail led officers across states to West Bengal, where weeks of technical surveillance and on-ground intelligence gathering helped crack the case. Police eventually tracked the network to Kaliachak in Malda district, an area allegedly known for illegal trade in stolen mobile phones and proximity to the Indo-Bangladesh border.
After an intense manhunt under difficult conditions, including continuous rain and poor infrastructure, the team detained Sultan, 34. Officials said he played a crucial role in executing the thefts, skilfully picking phones from victims without their knowledge.
“This is not a one-man operation. It’s a structured network with handlers, recce teams and on-ground executors,” an officer said, as quoted by Mid-day. Sultan’s brother, identified as Salman Shaikh, is believed to be the handler and remains absconding.
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Police revealed that the gang would travel from West Bengal to Mumbai by air, spending up to Rs 16,000 on tickets and additional expenses on lodging. According to the report, their targets were high-end smartphones priced between Rs 80,000 and Rs 1.5 lakh, which were later routed towards the border for resale. Further investigation is underway to identify and apprehend other members of the racket, which authorities believe may be part of a larger cross-border smuggling network.
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