The Delhi Police on Thursday arrested two men for hijacking a truck that was carrying 950 iPhones and making off with the devices, which together are worth Rs 2.5 crore. The accused were part of a gang of four that allegedly threw chilli powder into the truck, incapacitating the driver, Kalam Singh. When Singh stopped to wash his hands and face, the knife-wielding group accosted him, made him drive to a remote spot, transferred the phones to a pick-up van and fled.
The robbery took place on Tuesday night, the Vasant Kunj police said. Singh had filed a complaint with them, describing the manner in which he was assaulted. The police located CCTV footage from the area where the robbery took place, and identified two former employees of an Apple product supplier in the videos. Mehtab Alam and Arman were detained and eventually admitted to the crime.
According to The Financial Express, the Delhi Police have busted rackets involving high-end smartphones in the past as well. In April, the police had confiscated 448 phones from a group of eight accused, of which 310 were iPhones. The stolen phones in that incident came from all over the country, including far-flung states such as Kerala.
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