Lucknow: The Cyber Crime Cell and Ghazipur police have jointly busted an interstate gang from Teenpahar, Jharkhand, involved in stealing mobile phones from crowded places and committing cyber fraud worth lakhs of rupees.
Four key members of the gang have been arrested, and three juvenile offenders involved in the operation have been taken into police custody. Authorities have recovered 46 stolen mobile phones from their possession.
The gang’s modus operandi involved using children to steal mobile phones from crowded areas such as markets, vegetable markets, and fairs in various cities. After stealing the phones, the gang members would unlock the devices, remove the SIM cards, and then use the linked bank accounts and credit cards to commit cyber fraud. The stolen money would then be transferred to fraudulently opened bank accounts.
The operation was launched following a complaint lodged by Shri Deshraj at the Cyber Crime Cell. He reported that his mobile phone, stolen on April 8, 2025, from the Mulayam Nagar vegetable market in the Ghazipur area, was used to fraudulently withdraw ₹1,99,999.00 from his Canara Bank account. A case (CCN 1802/2025) was registered at the Cyber Crime Cell, and a corresponding FIR (No. 123/2025, under Section 66D of the IT Act) was registered at Ghazipur police station.
The Cyber Crime Cell had also received several similar complaints of phone thefts followed by cyber fraud from crowded locations like the Phool Mandi Chowk, BKT vegetable market, Viraj Khand vegetable market, Nakhas market, and other busy areas.
Following technical analysis and surveillance, the joint police team successfully apprehended the four adult gang members and took the three juveniles into custody on April 19, 2025. The arrests were made under the guidance of senior police officials, including the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime & Headquarters), Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Shri Kamlesh Kumar Dixit, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), and Additional Commissioner of Police (North), and under the joint supervision of the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime Cell) and the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Ghazipur). The operation was led by the in-charge of the Cyber Crime Cell.
During interrogation, the arrested individuals – Shubham Kumar Mahto (26), Sonu Mahto (26), Rajkumar Rai (21), and Jonu Kumar (23) – confessed to their involvement in the crime. They revealed that they and their gang members would travel to major cities across the country and target crowded places for phone thefts. They would then get the stolen phones unlocked, disable the “Find My Device” feature, and use the SIM cards to access linked bank accounts and credit cards, transferring funds to their fraudulently obtained accounts. The stolen phones would later be sold, and the proceeds shared among the gang members.
The accused also admitted to bringing economically weaker individuals and acquaintances from their village, including minors, by luring them with money, to carry out the thefts. They exploited the fact that people are less likely to suspect children of theft and often let them go with a scolding if caught.
After a phone was stolen, other gang members present in the area would immediately collect it from the child. They would then silence the phone or put it on flight mode and switch it off. Later, at a secure location, they would attempt to unlock the phone. For phones with common passwords or patterns, they could easily gain access. For more complex locks, they would seek help from other gang members.
If they couldn’t unlock the phone, they would remove the SIM card and insert it into another phone to create UPI IDs and access net banking linked to the bank accounts and credit cards associated with the stolen SIM, facilitating the fraudulent transfer of funds to their own accounts opened under false identities.
The arrested adult gang members are:
- Shubham Kumar Mahto, son of Chhunu Mahto, resident of Village Babupur, PS Teenpahar, Rajmahal, District Sahibganj, Jharkhand (PIN 816116), aged approximately 26 years.
- Sonu Mahto, son of Parmeshwar Mahto, resident of Village Babupur, PS Teenpahar, Rajmahal, District Sahibganj, Jharkhand (PIN 816116), aged approximately 26 years.
- Rajkumar Rai, son of Ghanshyam Rai, resident of Village Sutiyal Parha, Post Jonka, PS Teenpahar, District Sahibganj, Jharkhand (PIN 816116), aged approximately 21 years.
- Jonu Kumar, son of Shantiprasad Shah, resident of Village Kajreli, PS Kajreli, District Bhagalpur, Bihar (PIN 812005), aged approximately 23 years.
The juvenile offenders taken into police custody are:
- Durga Kumar Mahto, son of Sarwan Mahto, resident of Village Babupur Neeche Tola, PS Teenpahar, District Sahibganj, Jharkhand, aged approximately 14 years.
- Shubham Nonia, son of Sarwan Nonia, resident of Village Imli Dhodha, PS Jamuria, District Asansol, West Bengal, aged approximately 13 years.
- Dheeraj Kumar Mahto, son of Golu Mahto, resident of Village Babupur, PS Teenpahar, District Sahibganj, Jharkhand, aged approximately 13 years.
The case has been registered as FIR No. 125/2025 under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66D of the IT Act at Ghazipur police station, Lucknow.
Accused Sonu Mahto has a prior criminal history with cases registered in Gorakhpur and Lucknow. Complaints against the accused have also been registered in various other states, and authorities are contacting the concerned police departments for further action.
Preventive Measures:
The police have advised the public to take the following precautions:
- Keep your phone secure in crowded areas to prevent it from being easily targeted by thieves.
- Secure your SIM card with a PIN by going to Sim Card Lock in your mobile settings. This will prevent unauthorized use of your SIM if it is removed and inserted into another device.
- Protect your phone screen with a strong password, face lock, or fingerprint lock.
- In case your phone is lost or stolen, immediately contact your service provider to block your SIM card.
The police team involved in the operation from the Cyber Crime Cell, Lucknow, included Inspector Ratnesh Singh, Sub-Inspectors Syed Hasan Adil and Rakesh Mishra, Head Constable Santosh Gautam, and Constables Jai Prakash Yadav, Ashish Singh, Avinash Verma, and Jitendra Singh. The police team from Ghazipur police station included Additional Inspector Arun Kumar Yadav and Sub-Inspector Shiv Shankar.
