Four arrested in connection with mobile phone thefts at concert in Kochi

PTI, Oct 20, 2024, 6:12 PM IST

The Kerala police have arrested four persons in connection with a spate of mobile phone thefts during an Alan Walker concert held here earlier this month, according to City Police Commissioner Putta Vimaladitya on Sunday.

Two suspects were detained in Delhi and another two in Mumbai by a special investigation team set up to probe the case, Vimaladitya said.

Those arrested in Delhi have been brought to Kochi, while legal procedures are being carried out to bring the other two.

The four individuals belong to two separate gangs, and there is no information indicating that they are connected to each other.

The men arrested in Delhi have been identified as Atiq Ur Rahman and Waseem Ahmed. In Thane, Mumbai, police arrested Sunny Bolo Yadav and Shyam Talwar. They have a history of committing similar mobile thefts, Vimaladitya said.

A total of 23 mobile phones have been recovered – 20 from the Delhi group and three from the Mumbai group.

Vimaladitya said that it has yet to be confirmed whether these phones were among those stolen at the concert on October 6.

He explained that the suspects from Delhi arrived in Kochi via train, stayed in a hotel, arranged tickets for the show, and carried out the theft. They left for Delhi by train the following day.

The Mumbai group flew in on the day of the event, and after committing the theft, they returned to Mumbai by air, the commissioner said.

The excitement of watching internationally acclaimed DJ Alan Walker perform live at the Bolgatty Palace here had quickly turned to disappointment for over 30 attendees when they discovered their mobile phones were missing.

Police launched an investigation, suspecting that an organised group was behind the thefts, despite the presence of over 100 police personnel at the venue.