SEWAPURI. The Kapsethi police on Monday busted an interstate syndicate engaged in smuggling used and damaged handsets, recovering 2,570 mobile phones and 113 active SIM cards of various telecommunications companies from a truck parked along the highway. The consignment, loaded inside a DCM vehicle stationed near an abandoned eatery beside Barkee petrol pump, was intercepted following a targeted security check. Police took five men found with the vehicle into custody, all hailing from Murshidabad district in West Bengal, and seized 2,149 rupees in cash from their possession.
Consignment Intercepted Following Secret Tip-Off
Acting on precise intelligence received during routine patrol and surveillance operations aimed at curbing local theft, a police team cordoned off the area around the shut-down Chandan Dhaba. Informants had alerted officials that a West Bengal-registered DCM truck loaded with suspicious cargo had been parked near the fuel outlet. Upon conducting a physical search of the transport carrier, personnel discovered thousands of mobile units stacked inside. The haul comprised 345 Android smartphones and 2,225 keypad phones, alongside 113 functional SIM cards.
Interstate Gang Procured Devices in Exchange for Utensils
The arrested individuals have been identified as Babur Ali, Mantu Khan, Narjul Sheikh, Lalbabu Sheikh, and Milan Sheikh, all residents of West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. According to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Gomti Zone) Nripendra, the gang operated through itinerant vendors who travelled deep into rural hamlets and small towns. Posing as scrap collectors, these peddlers persuaded local villagers to part with defective and discarded mobile sets by offering stainless steel utensils and household goods in direct trade. The amassed devices were then routed through courier networks and bulk freight carriers to West Bengal, where they were resold at significant margins.
Third Consignment Thwarted as Cash Award Declared
Interrogations revealed that the seized vehicle had previously transported two similar consignments of refurbished and scrap phones across state borders to West Bengal, with the intercepted batch marking their third dispatch run. In recognition of the bust and the substantial recovery, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Gomti Zone) Neetu Kadyan declared a cash reward of 25,000 rupees for the enforcement team. The Kapsethi police have registered a formal case under pertinent legal statutes against the arrested five, initiating wider inquiries into regional scrap procurement channels and potential cross-state cyber networks.
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