Mumbai: The Sewri Police have busted a cunning inter-state gang involved in stealing mobile phones at large, crowded events across the country. The gang was active during the Sunburn Music Festival 2025 and was apprehended by the Sewri Police. A total of 19 high-end mobile phones and a car used in the thefts have been seized.
According to the police, the accused would dress well and mingle with the crowd as ordinary attendees during major events, taking advantage of the chaos to steal mobile phones. After committing the thefts, they would hide the stolen phones in a rented car and flee the scene to avoid suspicion.
The Sunburn Music Festival 2025 was organised by Spacebound Web Lab Private Limited from December 19 to 21 at the Timber Pond plot near Atal Setu in Sewri. Considering the massive turnout, the Mumbai Police had deployed special surveillance teams and women safety squads. On December 20, Sewri Police Station received two complaints of mobile phone theft, following which two special investigation teams were formed.
During patrolling, one accused, Udugalappa Dasa Bhovi (24), a resident of Shivamogga, Karnataka, was caught while attempting to flee. A search led to the recovery of four mobile phones worth approximately ₹2 lakh from his possession. Meanwhile, police detained four youths sitting suspiciously in a car near Fosbery Road. Upon searching the vehicle, 15 stolen mobile phones were recovered.
The arrested accused have been identified as Shahbaz Bhole Khan alias Shoaib (28), Mohitkumar Ramkumar Patel (25), Nikhil Eknath Yadav (19), and Maheshkumar Suneherilal Kumbhar (20), all residents of Delhi. In one of the complaints, a 28-year-old doctor stated that around 9.30 pm on December 20, while he was recording a video at the festival, the accused pushed him and snatched his mobile phone before fleeing.
The police have seized a total of 19 mobile phones and the car used in the crime, collectively valued at approximately ₹19.14 lakh. All five accused were arrested on December 21 under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigations are underway to ascertain their criminal history and their involvement in similar thefts reported in other cities across the country.
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