Delhi Police has arrested a 37-year-old mathematics graduate from Raghubir Nagar in west Delhi on charges of stealing more than 50 cellphones, officials said on Monday.
Pramod Kumar Gupta, the accused, completed his graduation in mathematics from a government institute at Ghonda in Uttar Pradesh in 2013, police said.
Despite receiving training in repairing mobile phones in 2020, Gupta reportedly resorted to selling stolen phones in Delhi and Haryana to make some quick money, a police officer said.
"A resident of Sonipat in Haryana, Gupta was previously involved in a criminal case. A total of 52 stolen or snatched mobile phones and 15 motherboards of cellphones were seized from his possession," Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), Vichitra Veer, said in a statement.
Police received a tip-off on March 6 that a man in Raghubir Nagar was attempting to sell a large number of stolen mobile phones, the DCP said.
A trap was laid near the NWB Chowk road and around 12:30 am on March 7, Gupta was spotted carrying a backpack filled with mobile phones.
When police signalled Gupta to stop, he tried to flee but was apprehended after a short chase, the officer said.
Upon search, police found 52 mobile phones of various brands and 15 motherboards in Gupta's possession, for which he couldn't provide any ownership documents, the DCP said.
"At least two of the recovered phones have bee linked to cases reported at Khyala and Hari Nagar police stations," Veer said.
Gupta, whose father woks as a commission agent, is married and has two children, the officer said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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