Gangtok, 19 Jan : A thief brazenly stole a Lava smartphone from a mobile shop at Metro Point in Gangtok during broad daylight. The victim’s brother, who shared the surveillance footage, mentioned that the thief fled towards Arithang.
The incident was recounted by the victim’s shopkeeper, Vishal Kr Prasad, to TVOS. The theft occurred between 4:00 PM and 4:15 PM on the evening of January 18. An unidentified customer approached Prasad’s shop, Sikkim Mobile Store, located opposite Titanic and BSNL Exchange at Metro Point, Gangtok.
The customer inquired about mobile phones in the price range of Rs 15,000 to Rs 18,000. Prasad recalled that the customer claimed he would make the payment – half in cash and half via Gpay. The customer handed Prasad a brown envelope stating that there’s Rs 10,000 inside and requested him (Shopkeeper Prasad) to count the money. Prasad suggested the customer open the envelope himself. Suddenly, the customer swiftly absconded with the phone.
Prasad gave chase, pursuing the thief down the stairs towards Arithang. However, the thief issued a warning, stating that if Prasad continued the pursuit, he would be killed. Fearing for his life, Prasad refrained from lodging any FIR until now.
Once again, on January 19, Friday, a Lava mobile shop experienced a theft using the same envelope-style technique, reminiscent of the incident at Metro Point the previous day. This time, the robbery took place at Children Park in Gangtok around 11 AM, carried out by a thief. In this case, the shop owner, Sanjay Kumar Shah, informed the media that his female sales manager was deceived by a brown envelope, which, upon inspection, was found to contain newspapers instead of money. The thief managed to escape with a Vivo smartphone and a pair of earpods valued at Rs 15,500, according to the shop owner.
Sources indicate that the thief has been identified as Roshan Pradhan from the Tadong area. Allegedly, the same individual is involved in both theft cases is ascertained by netizens in social media.
A serial robbery occurred just two days ago in the vicinity of the New STNM Hospital in Gangtok, where the thief allegedly stole a significant amount of cash and valuable ornaments skillfully by unlocking the residence’s lock. The recurrence of such criminal activities has instilled fear among the local residents in Gangtok, prompting people to appeal to the police for enhanced measures to ensure the safety of both property and lives against these criminals.
