Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh: In a shocking incident that has sparked public outrage, two on-duty police constables were suspended after allegedly stealing an expensive iPhone from a mobile showroom in Jaunpur’s Line Bazar area. The theft was captured on CCTV, leading to swift action by senior police officials.
The incident took place on Saturday, February 7, at around 2 pm, at a mobile showroom located near JC intersection. According to the shop owner, Shivam, the two uniformed policemen entered the store posing as customers and asked a female salesperson to display various iPhone models.
For nearly 20 minutes, the duo examined multiple devices, engaging the staff in conversation. Before leaving, they claimed they did not like any phone and walked out casually.
Expensive phone goes missing
Soon after, Shivam noticed that an iPhone 15 Pro Max, valued at ₹1.62 lakh, was missing from the display. Suspicious, he immediately reviewed the CCTV footage installed in his shop. The video revealed that one of the constables discreetly picked up the phone and slipped it into his pocket, leaving behind his own older iPhone 13 Pro to avoid immediate detection.
Video shared, accused identified
To confirm the identity of the suspects, Shivam shared the CCTV clip with nearly 200 contacts in a WhatsApp group. Within hours, the men were identified as active-duty police constables posted in the district.
Following this, Shivam lodged a formal complaint and personally approached City Superintendent of Police (SP) Ayush Srivastava, presenting the footage as evidence.
Swift police action, phone recovered
According to reports, taking the matter seriously, police registered an FIR and launched an investigation. Within a day, the stolen mobile phone was recovered and returned to the shop owner.
City SP Ayush Srivastava confirmed that both accused constables, Dhananjay Bind and Mithilesh Yadav, were suspended with immediate effect. A departmental inquiry has also been ordered to probe the incident thoroughly.
Shivam further informed authorities that one of the suspended constables had previously frequented the area and even studied at a digital library operating above the showroom until about a year ago.
