Police on Friday said it solved the burglary of a mobile shop here by arresting three non-locals and recovering mobiles worth Rs 25 lakh from their possession
Addressing a press conference, Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar, Haseeb Mughal said on July 4, Muhammad Amir Malik of Deviangan Hawal lodged a report with police station Nowhatta that during intervening night of July 3 some unknown burglars barged into his mobile shop at Gojwara Chowk and decamped with mobile phones of different brands worth lakhs of rupees.
The SSP said on receipt of the complaint, a case (FIR No 33/2020) was registered and investigation taken up. During the course of investigation, the SSP said that services of FSL unit as well as electronic surveillance unit were utilized.
He said the “tower dump” of the area was analyzed and IMEI numbers of stolen mobile phones were put on surveillance for any lead in the case. “An important clue emerged when a CCTV camera of a nearby shop recorded three suspected persons who seemed to be scrap collectors entering the mobile shop and leaving after sometime with some sacks,” the SSP said, adding on the basis of the CCTV footage, searches were carried out across the city in all areas with settlements of non-local scrap collectors.
The SSP said after nearly two months one stolen mobile phone became active with user location at New Delhi and the user was found as Abdul Razaq Sheikh, son of Muhammad Sulaiman Sheikh, a resident of JJ Colony, Bhawana Delhi.
“In order to investigate the matter, a police party headed by an officer was deputed to Delhi and the accused was arrested on September 6,” the SSP said, adding during questioning, the accused disclosed that he had hidden stolen mobile phones at his residence at JJ Colony.
“On the disclosure of the accused, the police party recovered 112 mobile phones along with their accessories from the spot,” said the SSP.
He said the accused was later shifted from New Delhi to Srinagar and again questioned when he revealed names of his two accomplices as Muhammad Alamin Sheikh alias Faggu Shiekh, son of Muhammad Fazlu Shiekh, a resident of Madanpur, Khadar, district SaritaVihar, New Delhi (presently at Harnag Anantnag) and Muhammad Jahangir Sheikh, son of Muhammad Fazlu alias Faggu Shiekh, a resident of Madanpur Khadar, district SaritaVihar, New Delhi (presently at Harnag Anantnag).
The SSP said during questioning Sulaiman Sheikh also disclosed that a few mobile phones were still dumped in the rented room of his associate, Muhammad Jahangir.
“A police party was deputed to Harnag Anantnag for the arrest and recoveries. Both the accused were arrested and 11 stolen mobile sets were recovered from the rented room of Muhammad Jahangir,” the SSP said.
They city police chief said in order to ascertain their modus operandi all the burglars were put to sustained questioning during which they revealed that they used to carry out recee of their targets, posing as scrap collectors.
“In the instant case also they had visited Gojawara area several times and did recee of the surroundings of the shop as well as noted the working schedule of the shop owner,” the SSP said, adding they also divulged that they had noted that the shop owner used to add new stock once during the week and on that day they decided to struck post midnight. “They used hacksaw blades and plumbing wrench to break the locks of the shop,” he said.
The SSP said before the burglary they waited till midnight at a nearby place and after burglary returned to their rented place at Harnag, Anantnag. “They dumped the stolen mobile phone at Harnag for nearly two months to avoid detection by police and to escape the initial manhunt,” he said. “After lying low for two months, Abdul Razaq left with the stolen property for Delhi to sell them there while the other two burglars remained at Harnag.”
The police was able to recover the stolen mobile phones of about Rs 26 lakh from the accused persons. “The investigating team in the case has done a commendable job with the highest statements of professionalism,” he said.