Youths from good families into mobile phone theft

NAGPUR: Shocking facts were revealed when police busted a gang of mobile phone thieves recently. Many members of the gang were youngsters from respectable family backgrounds. This shows an increasing trend among the youth who in order to make quick and easy money are getting drawn towards crime. The gang is said to have likely been behind around 15 thefts that have taken place in and around Ambazari and adjoining localities.
There are three minors in the gang, out of whom two along with two other gang members were picked up by police. Another member of the gang who too is a minor is presently in Bhopal and police has dispatched a team to arrest him. Police has recovered five stolen mobile phones from the gang and is hopeful of recovering another five mobile phones in the near future. Sunil Deshbhrater, alias Sonu, mastermind of the racket, already has several offences registered against him. These include two registered at Ambazari police station. He was also earlier arrested by crime branch.
Police said that Amit Sharma, another gang member too has been arrested. "Sharma was a first year science student and is the son of a government employee. Both the minors who have been rounded up too come from good family background. One of the minor's fathers is a doctor while the other's is a teacher," said a senior police inspector from Ambazari police station which has being investigating the case.
Senior police inspector, Namdeo Ingole of Ambazari police station said that they had began the probe after a complaint was filed a person named Rohit Verma stating that his mobile phone had been stolen from the dickey of his two-wheeler which was parked near the cricket ground at Abhyankar Nagar on June 8.
"Rohit Verma and his friends had gone to the ground for playing cricket after keeping their four mobile phones and some cash in the bike's dickey. They were left stunned when they found their mobile phones missing from the bike's dickey," said a police source.
Ambazari police took help from cyber crime cell and private cell phone service providers to begin their probe. Two of the stolen mobile phones' locations were traced to Katol. Police followed the link to reach the minors who were in possession of the stolen mobile phones. They had also disposed off a couple of stolen phones. Ambazari police has already detained the minors.
Sharma landed in police trap in Katol where he had dashed off to bring back the stolen mobile phones on learning that police has got whiff of their doings. He was arrested by the police without any difficulty.
A senior police officer said that the probe team took Sharma's family's help to nab Sonu who resides in Pandhrabodi. "Sharma was introduced to Sonu through a common friend. The minors were lured in by Sharma and Sonu by promising them quick money for selling the stolen mobile phones," said police personnel.
Head constable Surendra Tiwari of Ambazari police station informed that Sharma and Sunil had been remanded to police custody till June 15. The minors have been sent before the child welfare committee. One of the minors had left the city to attend a marriage at Bhopal and would be picked up too.