The Amruthahalli police have arrested two people involved in pickpocketing and robbing mobile phones from bus passengers. The police have recovered 14 mobile phones. The arrested have been identified as Syed Zabiulla (23), and Mateen (22), both residents of RK Hegde Nagar in northeast Bengaluru.
According to the police, Zabiulla and Mateen, used to target bus passengers. They used to travel in buses and steal mobile phones. They would wait near bus stands in the midnight or in the wee hours to rob mobile phones from passengers as soon as they got off buses.
They would then sell the stolen mobile phones to labourers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other states for a sum of Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000. They would spend the money on drugs, liquor and other vices. Zabiulla was earlier arrested in a dacoity case by K G Halli police, while Mateen was arrested in the NDPS Act case by Sampigehalli police. This is the first time they have been caught for stealing mobile phones.
The duo had robbed a mobile phone from Ramakrishna, a businessman, resident of Shanthiniketan Layout in Bannerghatta Road, on May 9 around 5 am when he arrived in Bengaluru from Tirupati.