Noida: Three men who were allegedly ferrying 100 new iQOO mobile phones were arrested during a routine naka check near a water tank in Sector 153 on Sunday. Police said they had stopped the vehicle because they suspected the registration number to be fake, but when they opened the storage section, they found 10 cartons of mobile phones, which are estimated to cost nearly Rs 50 lakh. They are now probing the source of the consignment and whether the phones were stolen or part of an illegal supply chain.Deputy commissioner of police Ravi Shankar Nim said the arrests were made by a team from Knowledge Park police station. The three men — Anand alias Rudresh (32), Pankaj alias Dhirendra (50) and Mohit Pundir (34) — were allegedly involved in just carrying the phones from one point to another and did not have any links with the mastermind of the mobile theft racket.Officers also seized knives from Anand and Mohit and a pickup vehicle fitted with a fake registration number plate, which was allegedly being used in criminal activities.Police said Anand has a criminal history and is already facing three cases under the Arms Act registered at Pandav Nagar police station in Delhi, Gurgaon City police station and Vasant Kunj police station. Mohit also has previous criminal cases registered against him at Hathras Gate and Sikandrarao police stations, including theft and offences under provisions of BNS.A case has been registered at Knowledge Park police station, and the accused will be produced before a local court for further legal proceedings. Police officials said efforts are underway to determine the full extent of the gang’s operations and identify any other associates involved in the racket.
