Mumbai Crime: Replacing new phones with dummies lands duo in cop net

Kishor Kole (left) and Lucky Singh Rathod

Ordering expensive mobile phones through an e-commerce website, replacing them with dummies and returning them for refunds have landed a gym trainer and delivery boy in trouble. The Aarey police arrested the duo on Wednesday after the website authorities filed a complaint on Tuesday night. When the website noticed that the return requests were repeatedly coming from the same customer, they got suspicious. For the next order placed by the trainer, they sent a different delivery boy. When he realised that it was not the usual guy in connivance with whom he was cheating the website, he did not turn up to accept the delivery. However, the cops managed to trap them.

The accused have been identified as Lucky Singh Rathod, 22, gym trainer and resident of Royal Palms in Aarey Colony; and delivery boy Kishor Kole, 25, who is a Malad East resident. Both of them were booked under relevant sections of the IPC and arrested. After being produced in court they were remanded in judicial custody. Investigation revealed that Lucky in connivance with Kole duped the website of three iPhones and a branded speaker worth Rs 1.25 lakh.

Police sources said when Lucky ordered the first iPhone Kole went to his house to deliver it. While the delivery boy was busy having tea and snacks offered by him, he replaced the phone with a dummy one and said he wished to return it. Some days later when he booked another phone through the website and Kole went to deliver it, Lucky lured him with the idea of replacing the phone, selling off the real one and dividing the money. After he sold the phone at half its price (Rs50,000), he gave Rs15,000 to Kole. When they did this for the third time, Lucky gave Kole Rs 5,000, the sources added.

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A police officer said couple of days back when Lucky ordered phones worth Rs3.5 lakh the company sent the order with a different delivery boy. On reaching the location when the boy called up Lucky, he refused to take the parcel. The officer further said, "During interrogation the duo confessed to the crime. We have recovered the three iPhones." Another officer said, "Under the guidance of senior inspector Vijaylaxmi Hiremeth, sub-inspector Avdhut Wadikar managed to nab the duo within an hour of registering the FIR."

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