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Police bust interstate mobile theft gang; 40 high-end phones stolen in Delhi concert recovered

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New Delhi, Dec 11: The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested four members of an interstate mobile phone theft gang and recovered 40 high-end smartphones, many of which had been stolen from a December 7 concert at IGI Stadium, officials said on Thursday.

A team from the Eastern Range-I of the Crime Branch, led by Inspector Ashish Sharma and supervised by ACP Sunil Srivastav, tracked the suspects for nearly 48 hours before intercepting them near Yamuna Vihar Metro Station on December 9.

The police said the accused kept shifting locations to evade surveillance, forcing the team to maintain continuous technical tracking.

The arrested men have been identified as Salman (35), Imran (28), Shahrukh (32) and Wasim (25), all residents of Ghaziabad.

Police recovered eight Apple iPhones — including iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone 16 series along with seven premium Samsung models such as the Galaxy S24 Ultra and Fold 6.

The remaining phones belonged to OnePlus, Vivo, Oppo, Redmi, POCO and Motorola.

Several of the recovered devices have already been matched with FIRs registered at Prashant Vihar, Shahbad Dairy and IP Estate police stations.

According to officers, the gang targeted crowded public places such as concerts, metro stations, bus stops, bars, marketplaces and railway stations.

During interrogation, the alleged kingpin, Salman, confessed that they focused on events frequented by young people carrying expensive phones. Police said the group had been operating across Delhi-NCR for several months.

“The stolen phones were then swiftly shifted to Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh), where the gang had established contacts in the grey market. The high-end devices were sold at throwaway prices within hours of the theft, making recovery extremely difficult,” the police said in its press note.

“Salman admitted that the gang had been actively operating in Delhi-NCR for the past several months and had committed scores of such thefts, earning them lakhs of rupees with almost no risk of getting caught until the present arrest,” it added.

Police said the four have been booked under Sections 35(1)(E) and 106 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

“This operation underscores the Delhi Police Crime Branch’s commitment to curbing organised crime and apprehending hardened criminals. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the accused’s associates and others, and to verify additional cases linked to the accused,” said DCP Vikram Singh.

Crime

Speeding Ferrari crashes into apartment building in Hyderabad Jubilee Hills

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Hyderabad, July 12: A speeding Ferrari car crashed into the gate of an apartment building in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills area in the early hours of Sunday. There were no casualties, said officials.

The incident occurred on Road Number 5 in the upscale Jubilee Hills under the Film Nagar Police Station limits.

The occupants abandoned the heavily damaged Ferrari Roma, said to be worth more than Rs 3.50 crore, and fled before police arrived at the scene.

The gate of Fort View Apartments was completely damaged in the collision. The front portion of the luxury car was badly mangled.

The man driving the vehicle escaped after the accident. Police suspect that the person at the wheel was under the influence of alcohol and driving the vehicle at a high speed and in a rash manner.

Police registered a case and launched an investigation into the person who was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. Police were examining the CCTV footage to ascertain if there were other persons in the vehicle.

Police shifted the damaged Ferrari to the police station with the help of a towing vehicle.

This is the second such incident in Jubilee Hills in less than a week. An SUV had crashed into Tollywood actor Dharma’s residence on the night of July 9.

A man who was under the influence of alcohol had rammed the SUV into the residence of Dharma on Road Number 10. The compound wall of the actor’s house was damaged in the incident.

The accused was identified as Karthik Kumar, who drove the SUV in a rash and negligent manner before losing control and ramming into Dharma’s house. Luckily, there were no casualties.

The actor alerted the police, who rushed to the spot and arrested the accused. A breathalyser test confirmed that the accused was drunk while driving the SUV.

Police registered a criminal case against Kartik Kumar and launched further investigation.

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Crime

Tamil Nadu: Beedi leaves worth Rs 17 lakh meant for Lanka seized near Thoothukudi coast

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Thoothukudi, July 11: In a major anti-smuggling operation, the Tamil Nadu Q Branch police seized beedi leaves worth an estimated Rs 17 lakh that were allegedly being smuggled to Sri Lanka from the Thoothukudi coast in the early hours on Saturday.

The consignment was recovered from a forested stretch near Inigo Nagar Beach, while the suspected smugglers managed to flee after spotting the police.

The operation was launched following a specific intelligence input received by Q Branch Inspector Vijaya Anitha, who was informed that a large quantity of beedi leaves was being stockpiled in the Inigo Nagar coastal area for clandestine transportation to Sri Lanka by boat.

Acting on the tip-off, a special police team led by Sub-Inspector Ramachandran, along with Special Sub-Inspector Ramar, Inspectors Irudayaraj Kumar and Isakkimuthu, and First Grade Constables Palani, Balamurugan and Pechiraj, conducted a late-night patrol in the South Police Station limits of Thoothukudi City Sub-Division.

During the search operation, the team reached a forested area south of Inigo Nagar Beach, where they discovered a cache of beedi leaves concealed and kept ready for loading onto a boat bound for Sri Lanka. Police recovered 18 bundles of beedi leaves, each weighing approximately 30 kg, indicating that the consignment had been carefully packed for sea transport.

However, the suspected smugglers, who were reportedly present in the vicinity, escaped into the darkness after noticing the approaching police personnel. In addition to the contraband, the police also seized a cargo vehicle believed to have been used for transporting the beedi leaves to the coastal loading point.

Officials said the seized consignment has an estimated international market value of around Rs 17 lakh. The recovered beedi leaves and the cargo vehicle are being handed over to the Customs Department for further investigation and legal proceedings.

Police have launched an investigation to identify and apprehend those involved in the smuggling network.

Investigators are examining the ownership of the seized vehicle and gathering intelligence to trace the larger syndicate suspected of operating along the Thoothukudi coast.

The seizure is part of the intensified surveillance being carried out by the Q Branch and other enforcement agencies to curb cross-border smuggling activities between the Tamil Nadu coast and Sri Lanka.

Authorities said further investigations are under way to determine the intended recipients of the consignment and whether the operation is linked to an organised smuggling network operating in the region.

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Crime

NESCO drug overdose case: Vanrai Police arrest 14th accused, twin brother of alleged mastermind Mahesh Khemlani

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Mumbai, July 11: The Vanrai Police have arrested the 14th accused in the high-profile NESCO drug overdose case, taking into custody Nitesh alias ‘Nick’ Khemlani, the twin brother of alleged mastermind Mahesh alias ‘Mark’ Khemlani.

According to police, Nitesh Khemlani was arrested following an investigation into the suspected financial network linked to the drug case. He was produced before a local court, which remanded him to police custody until July 13 for further questioning and investigation.

The arrest comes as part of the ongoing probe into the drug-related incident reported at the NESCO area in Goregaon, Mumbai. Police are examining the alleged drug syndicate’s operations, including its financial transactions and links among the accused persons.

The Vanrai Police said that during the investigation, suspicious financial transactions between Nitesh Khemlani and some of the accused already arrested in the case came to light. Based on these findings, police took him into custody for further investigation.

Investigators are now questioning Nitesh Khemlani to trace the alleged financial network behind the drug operation, identify possible sources of funding and uncover further links connected to the case.

The arrest marks the 14th in the case, with police continuing their probe into the wider network involved in the alleged drug supply and distribution chain.

The NESCO drug overdose case has drawn significant attention due to the involvement of multiple accused and the alleged links to a wider drug network. Police officials have said that further arrests and revelations may emerge as the investigation progresses.

The Vanrai Police are focusing on establishing the complete chain of events, including the movement of funds, connections between accused persons and the possible role of other individuals associated with the case.

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