Mobile phones stealing spree at Chinnaswamy Stadium: 70 phones recovered, 13 arrested

Bengaluru police recover 70 stolen phones and arrest 13, including minors, during IPL match at Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The Cubbon Park police have recovered as many as 70 stolen mobile phones during the IPL match at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium last week after arresting 13 persons, including nine minors, all from Jharkhand.

The accused have been identified as Shubam Kumar, Eshal Kumar, 23, Sanjeeth Kumar, 24, and Sohan Kumar, all related to each other. Investigations revealed that these four accused were in charge of at least two minors each. The accused had travelled separately through different modes of transport to avoid easy police detection in case one was caught.

The accused are still in police custody, while the minors were presented before the Juvenile Justice Board and were being kept in a Government Observation Home.

Modus Operandi

After arriving in the city, the group stayed separately, and on match day, everyone was spread out around the stadium. “The misconception is that the stealing took place only inside the stadium, but it happened in multiple locations, specifically where the crowd had gathered in larger numbers,” said Akshay Hakay Machhindra, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central).

While stealing mobile phones, some of the accused also flicked complimentary tickets and gained access to two different stands. Those who entered the stadium leveraged break time, got in the middle of groups of people, and stole more mobile phones.