Thief who stole mobile phones posing as police nabbed

A thief, who stole mobile phones from unsuspecting people posing as police officer, was nabbed by Brahmani Tarang Police in Rourkela on Wednesday.

The police recovered 33 stolen mobile phones from the home of the accused, who has been identified as Jagannath Bhagat, a resident of Bonai area.

As per reports, Bhagat visited mobile phone showrooms posing as police officer and stole phones after distracting the shopkeeper.

Asked about the crime, the accused said, “I used to cheat people and flee with their mobile phones posing as a police officer. I kept the stolen phones in my room and sold some of them for money.”

“I used a police uniform to loot mobile phones because people fear the police,” Bhagat said.

“We have seized 33 mobiles from the thief. His modus operandi involved posing as a police official to steal mobile phones from people after distracting them,” said Panposh SDPO, Shanta Nutan Samad.

“The victims generally hesitated to lodge complaints with the police because they deemed it futile to report against a police official,” she added.

The accused has two past criminal cases registered against him at the GRP. The police are verifying his other criminal antecedents.

Not only in Brahmani Tarang, but, the thief used to operate in other areas of Rourkela too.