KATHMANDU, March 22: Police have seized a large quantity of stolen mobile phones, laptops, and tablets and arrested seven individuals on Friday from the capital. The District Police Range (DPR), Kathmandu, shared this information through a Facebook live session on Friday afternoon.
The police arrested Pramod Pariyar from Kavrepalanchowk, Guna Raj Nyaupane, Hemant Rana Magar from Rautahat, Shambhu Bishwokarma and Sabin Pandey from Dolakha, Rajesh Chaalise from Sindhupalchowk, and Prakash Katwal from Kathmandu.
In the live session, chief of the DPR Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bishwa Adhikari, stated that the police conducted a special operation and discovered over 300 stolen devices at a single repair center following repeated complaints about the rising number of mobile thefts in the Kathmandu Valley.
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He added that the police raided the Saroj Mobile Repairing Center in Jagati and seized 271 mobile phones, 9 tablets, and 15 laptops.
SSP Adhikari said that the police launched the operation after receiving information about a mobile phone theft from a person traveling on a public bus heading from Koteshwor to Thimi. He added that the police quickly deployed officers and began the investigation, leading to the identification of seven individuals involved in the theft.
The arrested individuals revealed that they had been selling stolen mobile phones at the Saroj Mobile Repairing Center, prompting the police to raid the shop.
The police seized 83 Samsung phones, 18 iPhones, 19 Xiaomi phones, 15 MI phones, four OnePlus phones, 18 Oppo phones, 14 Vivo phones, six Itel phones, eight Realme phones, three Infinix phones, two Micromax phones, 10 Lava phones, five Nokia phones, two Poco phones, three Honor phones, seven Gionee phones, four Colors phones, five Motorola phones, two Tecno phones, one B2 phone, one Coolpad phone, one A Plus phone, one TCL phone, and four phones from unidentified brands.
The police confirmed that they are continuing their investigation into the arrested individuals.
The chief of the DPR stated that the police will continue their campaign to locate stolen mobile phones and return them to their rightful owners. He reported that in the last one and a half months alone, officers recovered and returned 48 mobile phones. He also shared that in the fiscal year 2022/23, they returned 1,650 mobile phones, in 2023/24 they returned 328, and in 2024/25, 228 mobile phones.
He recommended the denizens of the capital to use technologies like Find My Phone to track lost or stolen mobile phones. Additionally, he explained that telecommunication service providers could help trace lost phones based on the SIM card. Emphasizing the importance of vigilance to reduce mobile phone theft, he urged the public to contact the police immediately when necessary.