Mumbai: More than 40 expensive mobile phones were reported stolen during a Moharram procession held on Sunday in South Mumbai. According to police sources, complaints of theft have been registered at JJ Marg, Byculla, and Dongri police stations. CCTV footage from the procession route is being examined to identify the culprits.
The Shab-e-Ashoora procession began in Nagpada and passed through Dongri before reaching Byculla. A police official stated that Zharghad Syed (28), who arrived at Zenobia Hall in Bohri Mohalla around 4:30 AM to participate in the procession, discovered his iPhone had been stolen from his pocket—an apparent case of pickpocketing in the crowd.
When Syed went to register a complaint at JJ Marg police station, he found several others had also lost their phones. Among them were Faraz Syed (Samsung phone), Wasi Syed (iPhone 13), Samar Syed (iPhone 12), and Ghaffar Dastani (iPhone 14). All of them reported losing their phones along the route between Zenobia Hall and Bohri Mohalla.
Cases have been registered under Section 303(2) (Theft) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, against unknown persons.
In a similar case, Mohammad Raqeeb Shaikh (20), a student and Dongri resident, said his mobile phone was stolen while he was part of a procession between Mogul Masjid and Ramchandra Bhatt Marg. Police noted that most participants were dressed in traditional kurtas, making it easier for pickpockets to blend into the crowd.
Many victims only realized their phones were missing when they tried to make UPI payments at nearby shops. Though Muharram processions are held over ten days, the tenth day sees the largest turnout. Accordingly, the police had deployed extra personnel for crowd and traffic management. Authorities noted that the past three days have witnessed unusually large gatherings.
