Thief goes ‘digital’, seeks online payment from victims to return mobile phones

A mobile phone thief has been arrested by the Mumbai Police for allegedly demanding money from victims on his digital payments account, an official said on Monday.

The accused, Wasim Qureshi, is a history-sheeter. He recently stole four mobile phones of his co-workers in a bakery in suburban Kurla on the first day of his job, the official said.

Later, one of the co-workers managed to get Qureshi’s phone number and contacted him.

Qureshi told the victim that he would return their mobile phones once they transfer money to his digital payments account.

“The accused started calling up the victims every day asking for money. Fed up with his demand for money, one of the victims lodged an FIR. Qureshi was tracked down to Thane and nabbed. Police recovered ten mobile phone handsets from his possession,” the official said.

Speaking about his modus operandi, the official said Qureshi used to visit various commercial units in Mumbai and demand a job for survival. He then used to steal mobile phones.

He never submitted his identity proof to evade arrest.

Qureshi has been booked under section 380 (theft in dwelling house) of the Indian Penal Code, VB Nagar police sub-inspector Bhausaheb Sonawane said.