How did the Pune phone thief scam contacts?

The thief used stolen phones to contact people from the victims' phone lists, posing as the owner and asking for money on different pretexts.

Were the stolen phones returned by the thief?

Yes, the unidentified man returned the stolen mobile phones to their owners after successfully scamming their contacts.

How much money was withdrawn by the Pune scammer?

The accused withdrew amounts ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per transaction, with an estimated Rs 20,000 siphoned off so far.

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Clever thief returns stolen phones after scamming contacts

24 Apr

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Summary

Thief used stolen phones to scam contacts for cash.
Stolen phones were returned to victims after the scam.
Amounts of Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 were withdrawn via ATM.

Clever thief returns stolen phones after scamming contacts

A peculiar crime wave swept through Pune's Mula Road area in Khadki between April 10 and 12, as an unidentified man executed a sophisticated scam. He stole three mobile phones, using them to impersonate the owners and defraud their contacts by requesting money for various fabricated reasons.

The accused adeptly contacted individuals from the victims' phone books, soliciting small sums. Following these fraudulent transfers, he inexplicably returned the stolen handsets. Police reported that the amounts withdrawn ranged from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000, primarily through cardless ATM transactions. The investigation is ongoing, with police examining bank records and following leads.