13 including 9 minors arrested over major mobile theft at IPL match

Bengaluru: Bengaluru police have taken 13 suspects into custody, including nine minors from Jharkhand, over a large-scale mobile phone theft, involving at least 70 mobiles, during the IPL opening match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28. The action followed a surge of complaints from attendees who discovered their phones missing during the event, The Times of India reported.

Acting on the complaints lodged at Cubbon Park police station, investigators suspected the involvement of an organised gang, particularly in light of similar incidents reported during IPL matches in Chennai and Mumbai last year. Special teams were formed to track down the culprits using digital evidence.

Police traced one of the key accused, identified as 26-year-old Shubham Kumar, to a hotel near Shivajinagar. During interrogation, he revealed that he and a group of minors had travelled to Bengaluru days before the match with the intention of carrying out thefts around the stadium.

Based on his disclosures, officers detained three minors and recovered 21 stolen phones. The juveniles were later sent to a correctional facility. Initial efforts to apprehend other suspects were hindered as they had fled the city, but police teams tracked them to Jharkhand and Odisha, leading to further arrests.

Along with Shubham Kumar, three other adults—Eshan Kumar, Sanjeeth Kumar and Sohan Kumar—were taken into custody. In total, police recovered 75 mobile phones, including those stolen and those belonging to the accused.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Akshay M Hakay, the adult accused have been produced before a court and remanded to police custody, while their criminal backgrounds are being verified. Most thefts reportedly occurred inside the stadium and nearby transit points as crowds dispersed.