
09/10/2025
Habitual Mobile Phone Thief Arrested; 20 Stolen Handsets Worth ₹10 Lakh Recovered
MPL News Live || Arunachal Pradesh
Itanagar, October 9: In a major breakthrough against property theft, the Itanagar Police have arrested a habitual mobile phone thief and recovered 20 stolen handsets of various brands — including Vivo, Samsung, iPhone, Realme, and Poco — collectively valued at around ₹10 lakh.
According to police sources, a written FIR was received on October 8 from a complainant stating that during the intervening night of October 4–5, an unidentified person broke into his workplace at Solung Ground, ‘0’ Point Tinali, and stole his mobile phone. Based on the report, Itanagar Police registered Case No. 152/2025 under Section 305(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the investigation was entrusted to ASI Tatum Tari.
Acting promptly, a special police team was formed under the leadership of OC Itanagar, Inspector K. Yangpo, assisted by SI R.K. Jha, ASI Tatum Tari (IO), ASI M. Kamgo, and Hct. J. Zirdo, under the close supervision of SDPO Itanagar, Shri Kengo Dirchi.
The accused has been identified as Arun Baruah (19), son of Late Bipul Baruah, a resident of the Ganga Market area in Itanagar. During sustained interrogation, Baruah confessed to stealing over 100 mobile phones from different parts of the Itanagar Capital Region over the past year. He reportedly sold the stolen phones at throwaway prices to labourers, auto-rickshaw, and tracker drivers in and around the Ganga Market area.
Police further revealed that the accused’s brother, Anup Baruah, had earlier been arrested in June 2025 in connection with Itanagar PS Case No. 31/2025 related to copper wire and battery theft, and has been in judicial custody for the past four months.
The operation was conducted under the overall supervision of SP Itanagar, Shri Jummar Basar, who lauded the investigating team for their swift and coordinated action.
Police said the arrest and recovery represent a significant success in curbing property-related crimes within the Capital Region. Further investigation is underway to identify the receivers of the stolen property and trace the remaining stolen handsets.