By IANS
Pune : Police have busted a gang involved in theft of mobile phones from Pune and surrounding areas and recovered Nokia sets worth Rs.5.2 million.
Police said the lead had come from a crime committed on Dec 2, when 1,977 Nokia phones were being carried in a vehicle from a shop called ‘Reliable Warehousing’ in Wagoli about 25 km from Pune, to another shop in Nasik.
At Shirkrapur Chok, the driver of the vehicle gave lift to two unidentified men, who after getting into the vehicle chased the driver away threatening him with a knife. The two men later took the vehicle along with the goods and stored the phones in a town called Rase, in Nasik, at a hill top house along with more loot they had stolen in the same fashion.
“We checked the records and found out a similar incident had occurred in June 2007, where the accused were out on bail,” said Nagre Patil, Pune Rural Police senior official, at a press conference Thursday.
The accused, Santosh Popat Nanawade, a resident of Chakhan near Pune was confronted and he confessed to the crime. He also disclosed the names of six of his associates.
Patil has announced a award Rs.10,000 to all the officers involved in the undercover operation.