New Delhi: A courier boy, who claimed to have been robbed of 25 mobile phones, including 14 sets of the latest iPhone 17s, at gunpoint in east Delhi’s Shakarpur, turned out to be the mastermind of a staged heist, police said on Thursday.
Police said that the so-called robbery was actually a plan to steal a consignment of mobile phones worth around Rs 20 lakh.
“Our team busted their plot and arrested four men, including the complainant himself, for fabricating the incident,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Abhishek Dhania said.
He further said that all 25 high-end mobile phones — 14 iPhone 17s, 10 OnePlus devices and a Vivo handset — have been recovered along with two scooters used in the act.
Police said the complainant, Ashish Kumar (25), worked as a courier boy for a store in Shakarpur.
On Tuesday, Ashish claimed that while riding toward Karol Bagh to deliver phones, two unidentified men on a scooter intercepted him near the Vikas Marg flyover, brandished a firearm and snatched his backpack containing the consignment.
“The case appeared serious, prompting the registration of an FIR at Shakarpur police station. But as investigators began piecing together the timeline, inconsistencies emerged. CCTV footage from multiple points along the alleged route failed to match the complainant’s version. His movements and call records also raised suspicion,” the DCP said.
During questioning, Ashish confessed that he had staged the robbery with three accomplices, namely Shamim, a local mobile dealer, Aman and Tanveer, the DCP said, adding that the gang allegedly planned to sell the phones and split the proceeds among themselves.
Shamim (27), the prime conspirator, arranged the logistics and buyers. Aman (29) and Tanveer (32), both residents of East Delhi, acted out the robbery scene with Ashish to make the story appear credible, the DCP said.
Police recovered all the stolen mobile phones from their possession before they could be sold off, the officer said, adding that the investigators are now probing for their involvement in similar fraudulent cases that happened in the past.
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