Kolkata: Police have arrested three persons, including a shop owner, in a major theft syndicate that diverted 28 premium mobile phones meant for e-commerce delivery to local shops.The scam surfaced after an e-commerce firm in New Alipore handed 28 high-end handsets to a reputable courier on Dec 29 for inter-state shipment. The courier’s delivery boy collected them from the storeroom, but customs at the airport flagged lighter packages during weight checks. CCTV footage from the e-commerce office confirmed all phones were intact before pick-up, exposing the boy who allegedly slit open parcels, pocketed the devices, and resealed the empty packages to evade detection.
The e-commerce company lodged a complaint in Feb following an internal probe that corroborated the tampering. Police launched a investigation, traced IMEI numbers of the stolen phones, and located them in active use across the city.The cops also summoned buyers from Kidderpore and Howrah’s Nishchinda area, who claimed legitimate purchases and showed vouchers as proof. However, scrutiny revealed the vouchers were fabricated, prompting seizure of the devices and raids on implicated shops.Interrogations revealed that the delivery boy sold the 28 phones at steep discounts to shop owners, who then resold them at full market rates using bogus invoices to dupe unsuspecting customers. The cops soon traced 38 additional mobile sets.
