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ISLAMABAD, Jan 18 (APP):Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police’s Robbery and Dacoity Unit (RDU) arrested 16 members of organised criminal gangs, including their ringleader, for their involvement in snatching mobile phones, tampering with IMEI numbers and smuggling the devices to Afghanistan.
A police spokesperson told APP on Sunday that the arrests were made during a major operation carried out on the special directives of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, as part of indiscriminate action against criminal elements in the federal capital.
He said the accused were involved in snatching valuable mobile phones from citizens in different areas of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. After altering the IMEI numbers, the stolen devices were smuggled to Afghanistan for illegal sale.
During the operation, police recovered stolen mobile phones worth millions of rupees, two motorcycles used in the crimes and five pistols along with ammunition from the possession of the arrested accused. The suspects were wanted by Islamabad Police in at least 16 cases of street robbery, dacoity and other serious offences.
According to the spokesperson, preliminary investigation revealed that the accused confessed to committing multiple crimes in the twin cities and selling snatched mobile phones across the border. Efforts are underway to trace and arrest other facilitators and accomplices linked to the gangs.
SSP Operations Qazi Ali Raza said that indiscriminate action against criminals who deprive citizens of their hard-earned assets will continue without any discrimination.
He added that ICT Police are conducting large-scale operations against organised and active gangs, and such actions will persist until the federal capital is made a cradle of peace and safety for citizens.