Chittagong Police Arrest 5 in Mobile Theft Ring Bust

Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) have arrested five members of an organized crime syndicate for purchasing stolen mobile phones, altering their IMEI numbers, and reselling them to the public.

During the raids, police recovered 157 mobile phones (including 24 iPhones), five laptops, 201 SIM cards, 445 phone casings, Tk 101,500 in cash, and specialized IMEI-altering software and equipment.

CMP Deputy Commissioner (South) Md. Habibur Rahman Prang shared the details during a press briefing at the Dampara Police Lines media center on Thursday afternoon.

The arrested individuals are ringleader Muhammad Sohel Uddin, alias "Party Sohel" (35); Jahangir Hossain, alias "Jahangir Moni" (52); Abu Sayeed (34); Md. Shamim (24); and Saiful Islam (19).

Acting on a tip-off, police first arrested Jahangir on Wednesday. His confession led to a subsequent raid at a residence in the Nandankanan area, where mastermind Sohel and the three other associates were apprehended.

Deputy Commissioner Habibur explained the gang's operational model: they purchased stolen and mugged phones at cut-rate prices, used special software to rewrite the IMEI numbers, swapped the external casings to make the phones look new, and then resold them in markets across Bangladesh.

A case has been filed under the Cyber Security Act at the Kotwali Police Station. Several suspects have extensive criminal records: Sohel faces eight prior cases for theft and robbery, Jahangir faces four, and Sayeed is a suspect in a murder case filed at Basan Police Station in Gazipur.