In a significant breakthrough, the Delhi Police have arrested an airport ground operator for stealing a shipment of high-end mobile phones at Indira Gandhi International Airport, an official said on Tuesday.

The accused, identified as Nikhil Kumar, a resident of Shahabad Muhammadpur, worked as a loader at the airport, handling ground services, aircraft, baggage, and cargo.

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Additional Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport) Usha Rangnani stated, “Kumar stole one PVC box containing Samsung S-25 Ultra mobiles from a shipment bound for Indore. He hid the stolen phones in an old, unused container at the airport and later removed them in installments to avoid detection.”

She further added, “The police have recovered 36 stolen mobile phones so far and are working to trace the remaining devices. During the investigation, it was discovered that the accused had sold 55 stolen phones to a friend for resale and two to a shopkeeper for Rs 2 lakh.”

According to Rangnani, on February 6, a complaint was filed by Sanjay Yadav, head of sales and marketing at a private company.

Yadav reported that his company had shipped four master PVC boxes containing 280 Samsung S-25 Ultra mobile phones from their Noida warehouse to a store in Indore via flight.

However, upon arrival in Indore, only three boxes were received, and one containing 75 mobile phones was missing.

Following the complaint, an investigative team was formed, and CCTV footage from the airport was thoroughly examined. Despite initial setbacks, investigators eventually identified Kumar as the suspect.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to the theft. He admitted that on the night the shipment was stored in an isolated parking area, he hid the stolen phones in an unused container and later smuggled them out in installments.

Kumar further revealed that he had sold 55 stolen mobile phones to his friend Sahil for resale and two phones to a shopkeeper named Chintu for Rs 2 lakh.

Based on his confession, a case has been registered against him under relevant legal provisions, and further investigations are underway, Rangnani confirmed.