Rapido rider arrested; pistol, 11 mobile phones seized in Delhi

September 21, 2025

New Delhi: A 36-year-old Rapido rider, who doubled up as a dealer of stolen mobile phones, was arrested in Delhi’s Seemapuri area, with police seizing a country-made pistol, two live cartridges, and 11 stolen handsets from his possession.

The accused, identified as Saleem Khan, a resident of Old Mustafabad, was nabbed in a Crime Branch crackdown on the organised mobile theft racket operating across the Delhi Metro and city buses.

Organised Network Exposed
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Vikram Singh, Khan was a key link in a network that purchased stolen mobile phones from pickpockets and resold them through intermediaries.

Acting on secret inputs and technical surveillance, a team led by Inspector Sunil Kumar Kundu and supervised by ACP Kailash Chander arrested Khan under the Arms Act.

During interrogation, Khan revealed that pickpockets supplied him with stolen phones, which he passed on to one Wasim, who decided pricing and final buyers. Police said Khan admitted to carrying a pistol for his personal safety.

Arrest and Recovery
On Friday, Khan had collected 11 stolen phones from Wasim in DLF Bhopura, Uttar Pradesh, and was on his way home when he was apprehended.

Police are now tracing the recovered phones through IMEI searches to return them to rightful owners.

Past Criminal Record
Khan was previously booked in a narcotics case in Noida, officials confirmed.

Police said efforts are underway to track down Wasim and other members of the organised crime module.