In a major breakthrough against organised street crime and cross-border smuggling, the Delhi Police on Friday announced the busting of a phone-snatching gang that was part of an international network funneling stolen smartphones to Nepal. Three men were arrested during the operation, and police recovered 103 stolen mobile phones, a country-made pistol, live cartridges, and a stolen motorcycle used in the crimes.

According to officials, the gang had been operating with a high level of coordination, using stolen vehicles with either fake or concealed number plates to target pedestrians—often late-night workers, factory hands, and commuters. The criminals relied on the predictable unlocking patterns and PINs used by many victims, enabling them not only to access the devices but also to exploit linked UPI accounts and digital wallets. Police said the gang siphoned off lakhs of rupees through unauthorised transactions before passing the devices down the supply chain.

Once collected, the stolen phones were bulk-processed by receivers and then smuggled to Nepal, where they were flashed, reconfigured, and resold at profitable margins. At the centre of the illegal network were two men designated by police as “bad characters”: Kishan alias Kishor alias Golu, with 21 previous criminal cases, and Mohit alias Badshah, with 15 cases. A third accomplice, Rohit, allegedly acted as a key receiver who delivered stolen devices to a handler responsible for cross-border movement into Nepal. Police are still searching for this handler, believed to be a crucial figure in the Nepal-bound smuggling chain.

The case came to light on Monday after a factory watchman in Ashok Vihar reported that two men on a black motorcycle had snatched his phone. Police immediately registered a case and began analysing CCTV footage along the route. The investigation quickly yielded results: officers identified one of the culprits as Kishan based on footage and previous records.

Kishan was arrested soon after the identification. A search of his person and motorcycle led to the recovery of a country-made pistol, two live cartridges, and the snatched mobile phone belonging to the complainant. The motorcycle itself was found to be stolen from Keshavpuram, confirming the gang’s reliance on illicit vehicles to avoid tracing.

A raid on Kishan’s residence revealed the scale of the operation. Officers recovered 40 mobile phones believed to have been recently snatched, stolen, or purchased through other criminal means. During interrogation, Kishan provided information that led investigators to the second accused, Mohit.

On Thursday, police arrested Mohit and recovered from him a mobile phone linked to a separate snatching case reported in Shalimar Bagh. His questioning proved critical: Mohit disclosed the role of Rohit, the receiver who served as the link between local snatchers and the cross-border smuggling network.

Following these leads, police arrested Rohit the same day. Acting on his disclosures, officers raided multiple locations. They recovered 29 phones from the house of Rohit’s associate Amit and another 32 from Rohit’s own residence. These recoveries brought the total number of seized devices to 103.

Police noted that the gang worked with efficiency: phones were categorised, wiped, reactivated, and prepared in batches before being transferred to the handler who smuggled them out of the country. The devices were then transported to Nepal—typically through intermediaries who specialised in cross-border movement—where they were flashed to erase all tracking links and subsequently resold in grey markets.

The investigation has provided deeper insights into how street-level crimes in Delhi feed into larger international networks. Phone snatching, long considered a local-level offence, is increasingly connected to global black markets that profit from stolen technology, police officials said. By dismantling this module, the Delhi Police believe they have struck a significant blow against a supply chain that incentivises street crime.

The recovery of a firearm during the arrests has further underscored the need for continuous monitoring of repeat offenders. Officials said both Kishan and Mohit have long criminal histories and were known to coordinate with multiple gangs operating across North and Northwest Delhi.

Alongside the 103 stolen smartphones, the police also seized a country-made pistol with two cartridges and the stolen black motorcycle used in the Ashok Vihar incident. Police teams are now working to identify the Nepal-based handler and any associates stationed along the smuggling route.

The case highlights the evolving nature of urban crime, where small-time snatchers often serve as the starting point of a well-oiled international illegal trade. Police have strengthened surveillance in hotspot areas and are scrutinising similar cases to identify connections with this newly uncovered syndicate. Further arrests are expected as the investigation widens.