Couple Chase Down Mobile Snatcher Through Tracking App

A 22-year-old man, who allegedly used to snatch mobile phones in West Delhi, was arrested after one of his targets tracked him down through a mobile application and then handed him over to the cops, police said on Saturday.

The accused, identified as Sandeep Kumar, works as a recovery agent at a power distribution company in Delhi, said DCP (West) Pushpendra Kumar.

The complainant, Nishant Verma, is a resident of West Delhi's Janakpuri. He told the police that there is severe network trouble in his locality so he often has to come out of his residence for making phone calls or sending text messages.

On August 21, when Verma came out of his home to send a message, the accused allegedly snatched his iPhone 6 and sped away in a scooter, said a police official.

Verma then called his wife, who used the Find My iPhone tracking application on her iPad in getting navigation tips and managed to chase down the accused.

"The accused kept changing locations but Verma and his wife kept following him. Finally they intercepted his scooter at Sagarpur area and overpowered him with the help of locals, who informed the police," said Pushpendra Kumar.

During interrogation, it also emerged that Kumar is involved in five other cases of snatching in nearby areas, the official added.

Note: While the couple did manage to recover the stolen smartphone without too much trouble, readers are advised to contact law enforcement authorities in case their smartphone is stolen, rather than trying to take the law into their own hands. The consequences can be fatal if recovery is attempted without the assistance of police.

Written with inputs from PTI