Mumbai: Byculla police on Saturday arrested a 19-year-old man who has been allegedly snatching mobile phones from pedestrians in the South Mumbai area.
The matter surfaced when 29-year-old Istiyak Ashfaq Shaikh approached the police on December 21. Mr Shaikh was walking on the streets in the Byculla East area when an unknown man on a motorcycle came from behind and snatched his mobile phone away. Mr Shaikh lodged a complaint, and subsequently, the police initiated the investigation.
They checked the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and spotted the suspect. The police through the locals found out that the suspect is usually seen in the Saat Rasta Junction area in Agripada.
Through technical investigation and informants, the police managed to identify the suspect and his activities.
On Saturday, on a tip-off, the police laid a trap near Pine Hotel, opposite Dockyard Road Railway station.
The suspect was arrested and then confessed to his crime. The accused is identified as Shubham Babulal Diwakar, a resident of Chota Dhobi Ghat, Agripada.
During the interrogation, it was known that Mr Diwakar already had four cases registered against him at Byculla Police station for kidnapping, house-breaking, trespassing and robbery. He also has more cases against him in other police stations in the Mumbai area, said the police.
A total of 15 mobile phones were seized from the accused, worth Rs. 1,67,500.
The police have registered a case against Mr Diwakar for robbery under the Indian Penal Code, and he is currently remanded to police custody till Tuesday.
Using the IMEI (international mobile equipment identity) number, a 15-digital serial number – provided to every mobile phone that can be used to check information on the phone’s origin, model number, etc., the police are trying to identify its respective owners after which the phone will be handed over to them.
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