iPhone Heist Foiled: Rs 2 Crore in Stolen Phones Recovered, 5 Arrested

Jaipur (The Uttam Hindu): Police have dismantled a gang involved in the theft of iPhones from a local mobile shop on November 6, with plans to smuggle the stolen goods to Bangladesh, officials confirmed on Friday. The police recovered iPhones worth Rs 2 crore, along with Rs 3.85 lakh in cash and a rented car used in the crime. Five individuals were arrested in connection with the theft.

According to the initial investigation, one of the arrested suspects, Safan Khan, turned out to be an old acquaintance of the mobile shop owner, Ramindra Singh Makhija. Makhija and Khan had known each other since their time working together in Indore a decade ago. When Makhija opened his mobile showroom in Jaipur, Khan visited him and hatched a plan to steal from the store. Khan reached out to his associates in Mumbai to coordinate the smuggling of the stolen iPhones to Bangladesh.

The arrested suspects include Safan Khan (30), the mastermind, along with Rambharose Patel (27), Jatin Hada (18), Rajesh alias Khanna alias Mama (45), all from Madhya Pradesh. Sameer Ahmed Sheikh (38), a resident of Gawandi (Mumbai), who purchased the stolen items, was also taken into custody.

On November 6, the thieves broke into Makhija’s mobile showroom, Hotspot, in Panchvati Circle, Jawahar Nagar, Jaipur. They stole over 120 new iPhones, along with around 150 old iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks. The total value of the stolen goods was estimated at Rs 2 crore, said Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph.