Rs 25,000 Per Month For Snatching Mobiles: Raipur Police Crack Down On Interstate Gang

Raipur: The Raipur Police has uncovered an interstate mobile theft and online fraud gang involved in crimes across 12 Indian states. Four accused, including the gang leader, have been arrested from Jharkhand and West Bengal. The gang was found to be operating a well-structured, high-tech network targeting crowded areas and trains for mobile phone theft.

The incident came to light when a local resident, Govind Ram Wadhwani, filed a complaint at Telibandha Police Station on June 22 after his mobile phone was stolen in a busy market. Soon after the theft, Rs 1.85 lakh was fraudulently withdrawn from his account using UPI apps like PhonePe.

The gang, led by Deva, alias Dev Kumar Mahato (28) from Jharkhand, trained unemployed youth and offered them a salary of Rs 25,000 per month to carry out mobile thefts. The criminals operated from a rented house in Raipur and executed thefts in crowded public areas.

According to the police, the gang operated in three specialised groups: the first group stole mobile phones, the second transferred money using UPI apps, and the third withdrew the money from ATMs and redistributed it after deducting commission. The money trail often led back to Kolkata and Jharkhand.

During the investigation, a 10-member team from Raipur Police travelled to Jharkhand and Kolkata. Disguised as Kanwad Yatris due to the Shravan month, they successfully tracked and arrested the gang members.

The arrested criminals include:

• Dev Kumar Mahato (28) - Gang leader, Sahebganj, Jharkhand
• Kanhaiya Kumar Mandal (22) - Sahebganj
• Vishnu Kumar Mandal (22) - Sahebganj
• Om Prakash Thakur (31) - Kolkata, handled fraudulent withdrawals

The police recovered three mobile phones, two SIM cards, and 40-50 QR codes from the accused. These led to evidence of financial fraud involving transactions worth crores and gang activities in 12 states, including Bihar, Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu.

Cases have been registered under IPC Section 303(2), 134 BNS, and relevant laws on organised crime at Gudhiyari and Telibandha police stations. Six more accused have already been arrested in connection with this case, and further investigation is underway.

SHO Narendra Mishra, Cyber Unit In-charge Paresh Pandey, SI Mukesh Sori, and other officials from Raipur Police and the Anti-Crime Team were instrumental in the success of this operation.