Gang smuggling stolen mobile phones to Afghanistan busted

Criminals comprise IT experts, mobile technicians as well as a police constable

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) police have busted a 17-member gang involved in snatching mobile phones from citizens and smuggling them to Afghanistan.

The criminals comprise IT experts, those with the know-how of hanging mobile phone IMEI numbers and a police constable. The police also recovered 172 cellphones from the gang worth Rs1.7 million.

SSP Operations Kashif Aftab Abbassi told The Express Tribune that the notorious group had 17 members and used to work in four different subgroups. The suspects belong to different areas of the city and also include a police constable Imran s/o Momin Khan who has been suspended immediately and action is being taken against him.

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Abbasi said that the gang used to snatch mobile phones from the people at gunpoint and was also involved in purchasing stolen mobile phones from different cities of the country including Karachi.

He said that the gang was involved in changing the IMEI number of the phone and then they used to smuggle them to Afghanistan. The suspects have confessed to several crimes during the initial investigation and further revelations are expected.

Apart from 172 smartphones, 14 computers, a motorcycle, a car and a number of weapons were also recovered from the suspects, identified as Shakir, Shehzad, Naved, Zulfiqar, Zareef, Bilal, Zakir, Zahid, Abdur Raheem, Salman, Amin, Irshad, Imran, Rab Nawaz, Ismael, Faqir Gul and Hazrat Hussain.

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SSP Operations Abbasi, while announcing a reward for the team for arresting the culprits, said that the police have launched a crackdown against criminal elements in the city.

He said that the noose is being tightened against the "black sheep" of the police department. The police official also said that no concessions would be given to the cops involved in criminal activities and cases and strict action would be taken against them.