2 Arrested For Allegedly Stealing French Ambassador's Mobile In Chandni Chowk

Two persons were arrested for allegedly stealing a mobile phone from French Ambassador Thierry Mathou while he was on a visit to the Chandni Chowk market, an official said on Wednesday.

Mathou and his wife had gone to visit the market for shopping in the afternoon of October 20, when his mobile phone was stolen from his pocket, the official said.

Sources said the market was overcrowded due to Karwa Chauth and Diwali festivals that facilitated the accused to indulge in pick-pocketing and flee the scene.

They further said Mathou and his wife were not escorted by any security cover during the incident. The local police was also not aware about their visit in the market.

A senior police officer said they received information regarding the incident on October 21 from the French embassy.

Over 50 CCTVs were checked and a team of policemen was formed. They cracked the case on October 26.

Two accused, Shadab and Umesh alias Chela, both aged between 20 and 25 years respectively, were arrested and the mobile phone was also recovered from them, the officer said.

The officer said Shadab, a resident of Mayur Vihar, was first seen in the CCTV as a prime suspect.

"With the help of technical and human intelligence, he was identified and later arrested from his house," the officer said.

The mobile phone was recovered from Umesh, who is a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad.

The officer said both the accused have previous criminal records where they have targeted other tourists in the Chandni Chowk area and its surroundings.

During investigation, the police found that both the accused often target foreign nationals or people from outside Delhi visiting the market.

"They would follow visitors before stealing their mobile phone or other valuable in the crowded place in the market," the sources said.

Earlier in the day, police said four have been arrested.

Further investigation is underway, the officer added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)