One arrested for stealing mobile phones worth Rs. 2 lakh from Noida mall

The city police on Wednesday arrested an electrician for stealing mobile phones worth over Rs. 2 lakh from a shop in The Great India Place Mall. Police said the accused Shakeel, 25, used the air conditioning duct to enter the shop and steal eight high-end mobile phones.

“On May 10, Sector 39 police station received information about theft of high-end mobile phones from a shop inside the mall. A police team was deputed to investigate the case. All current and former employees of the shop were questioned. The team zeroed in on a suspect who had worked on a contract basis for wiring at the shop six months ago,” said Dinesh Yadav, superintendent of police, Noida.

The suspect, Shakeel, who hails from Agra, was called for questioning on Wednesday. He tried to mislead the police, but they found CCTV footage of him near the mall on the night of May 9, police said.

“When confronted with the evidence, he broke down and confessed to his role in stealing the phones. He said he entered the shop using the AC duct by removing the false ceiling. He spent nearly one and a half hour selecting only high-end phones. After stealing the phones, he used the same duct to flee. However, he was captured in some CCTVs installed in and around the mall,” said Yadav.

Police said the accused is an electrician and had planned the theft six months ago when he worked in the shop.

“He told us that since the time he had worked at the shop, he had been making the plan to steal the mobile phones. On May 9, he found a chance to sneak into the duct pipe, which circulates air from the centralised AC system from behind the shop where some construction work was going on,” said Yadav.

The police have recovered all eight mobile phones, worth Rs. 2,75,000, from the possession of the accused. He was produced in the court and sent to jail, police said.