Police bust smugglers gang

PESHAWAR: The local police have unearthed a gang involved in snatching and stealing smartphones from different parts of the country and selling them in Afghanistan.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Peshawar, Javed Iqbal, on Tuesday told reporters

that 63 cellular phones had been seized while seven members of the ring arrested.

The official added over 600 cellular phones were smuggled to Afghanistan during the last almost one month.

Media reports recently hinted at smuggling of a large number of smartphones across the border in Afghanistan to dodge the locators and other devices.

The SSP said that the police while working out a snatching incident arrested three snatchers Imran, Arab Khan and Zarghun.

The arrested snatchers told the police about a gang of shopkeepers who used to buy snatched and stolen phones against a meagre amount and later smuggled them to Afghanistan.

Javed Iqbal told reporters that two phone dealers Sajjad and Siam and two others smuggling phones to Afghanistan, Bilal and Niaz Ali, were arrested.

The official said 63 snatched and stolen phones were recovered from the accused after which a case was lodged against them.

According to the officials, most of the phones are stolen during rallies, funeral prayers and other gatherings.