Mumbai: Youth takes loan to buy iPhone, steals to repay sum; arrested

A 23yearold man a resident of Parksite in Vikhroli was arrested by the Vikhroli police last week for allegedly snatching a schoolteacherrsquos handbag for money The incident took place in the Kannamwar Nagar areaAccording to the teacher Nancy Almeda name changed 56 she had gone to Ghatkopar railway station on the afternoon of April 25 As she was heading home she realised she was wearing a gold chain ldquoIt was my husbandrsquos birthday the previous day which is why I wore the gold chain but I felt it might be unsafe so I removed it and placed it inside my handbagrdquo she said in her statementJunaid Khan took a loan from a random online app for the iPhoneAlmeda reached Vikhroli from Ghatkopar and while walking towards her house she entered a narrow lane on the service road when the accused on a bike suddenly approached from behind snatched her handbag and fled the sceneNancy immediately approached the police and registered an FIR against the unknown biker Though the case appeared straightforward the police began investigating the matter Crime Branch officials from Unit 7 assisted the Vikhroli police in tracing the accusedldquoWe knew the accused would attempt to sell the gold chain so we focused on that angle first The crime scene area was too narrow for a CCTV camera to capture the accused personrsquos face Identifying him through the sale of the gold chain was our first major breakthrough which also helped establish that he was a localrdquo said a police officer involved in the investigation However when the accused identified as Junaid Khan from Parksite was arrested and confessed to the crime his motive left the police somewhat speechlessldquoHe wanted an iPhone but didnrsquot have the money His father works as a welder and though he is a graduate he remains unemployed The urge to own an iPhone drove him to take an online loan using a random financial application After successfully obtaining the loan he purchased the iPhone but repaying it became a challenge as he was still without a job As the monthly EMIs became due he struggled to make payments and began receiving warnings from the loan provider Realising that the situation could escalate if he failed to repay he became desperate for quick cashrdquo said the police officerHe had purchased a secondhand iPhone for Rs 35000 taking out a Rs 40000 loan from an online mobile application to finance it Nancyrsquos gold chain weighing nine grams was valued at around Rs 30000 at the time when she bought it Khan sold the chain for Rs 55000 to repay the loan with the interestA family member of Khan told the police that most of the family members are labourers or wage workers ldquoThey were unaware of what Junaid did He was often seen sitting with his friends playing games or watching videos on his phone There would be frequent arguments about him not seeking a job despite completing his graduation The family had no knowledge of him taking a loan for the mobile phonerdquo said an official After the arrest Khan was first remanded to police custody and then to remanded to judicial custody by the courtatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params