Kochi: Within two weeks of a theft spree during an Alan Walker concert in Kochi on Oct 6, where 39 mobile phones went missing, the city police made a significant breakthrough. They arrested four suspects and recovered 23 mobile phones, including 15 iPhones.
City police commissioner Putta Vimaladitya said on Sunday that two separate gangs, each consisting of four members from Delhi and Mumbai, were responsible for the thefts.The Kochi police apprehended two individuals from each gang. They said while one gang arrived in Kochi by flight, the other travelled by train.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Atiq Ur Rahman (38) and Wazeem Ahammed (31) from Delhi. Both were brought to Kochi on Sunday and remanded into custody. Rahman has eight cases against him in Delhi, while Wazeem has four cases registered in Bengaluru and Delhi. From Mumbai, Sunny Bhola Yadav (27) and Shyam Baranwal (32) were also arrested and will be brought to Kochi soon. The two gangs operated separately, and police are yet to establish any direct links between them.
“Out of the 39 phones missing, 21 were iPhones, while the rest were Android devices. We registered two cases in Mulavukad, and extensive investigations led to the identification of both gangs.”
“The arrests took place in Daryaganj, Delhi, and Thane, Mumbai. The arrested individuals are history-sheeters, with previous cases involving similar methods of operation,” said commissioner Vimaladitya.
Police reported that 20 phones were recovered from Delhi and three from Mumbai. A forensic examination will determine if these phones were the ones that went missing during the concert.
The investigation gained momentum when police received information from Bengaluru about Wazeem, who had been previously arrested for a similar offense. His arrival in Kochi during the concert raised suspicions. He was implicated in a theft case registered in 2022 at MahadevaPura police station in Bengaluru. One of the missing phones had earlier shown its location in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, and further investigation in Chor Bazaar near Red Fort led the cops to the accused.
Vimaladitya assured a reward for the officers involved in the operation. A team led by inspector Syam Kumar VS travelled to Delhi to make the arrests.
Police confirmed that the suspects are seasoned offenders, with one previously accused of committing thefts during festivals in Delhi. Officers noted that another Alan Walker concert in Bengaluru also reported around 20 missing phones, and they have not ruled out the possibility that the same suspects may be involved. Four additional suspects have been identified and are expected to be apprehended soon. Local police provided significant cooperation during the arrests.