Investigations into the mobile phone thefts at Chepauk Stadium during the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on March 28 have led to the arrest of three additional suspects. The arrests—Rahul Kumar (24), Jither Sani (30), and Praveen Kumar Matto (21)—were made at a private lodge in Vellore, where police recovered 31 stolen phones.
Earlier, on April 2, eight individuals, including four minors, were arrested from the same lodge. Six of the suspects were from Jharkhand, and two were from West Bengal. So far, a total of 74 phones have been recovered.
According to the Triplicane police, the suspects, all from Tin Pahar village in Jharkhand, are believed to be part of an interstate gang. The gang allegedly trained youths, often on a daily wage of Rs 1,000, in distraction thefts and pickpocketing. These individuals were then deployed in crowded public places such as stadiums, markets, beaches, and bus terminals across India.
The gang is known to have targeted areas like Koyambedu, Vadapalani, Avadi, and Purasawalkam in Chennai, as well as Bengaluru and Tirupati. Many of the recruits were minors or relatives of the gang members. After committing the thefts, the stolen phones were allegedly smuggled back to Jharkhand and sold in Maoist-infested regions and along the West Bengal-Bangladesh border.
The investigation began after 20 complaints were submitted through the Chennai Singam IPL app following the match. AI-based analysis of surveillance footage, along with spectator inputs, helped the police identify the suspects and track their movements.
