Gang busted for using cargo to smuggle phones

A smuggling network using cargo companies to transport stolen mobile phones has been busted in Lahore.

Lahore police have arrested two suspects involved in a mobile phone smuggling racket operating between Lahore and Peshawar. The operation was led by SHO Faisal Town, Afzal Rauf, and his team. According to SP Model Town Akhlaq Ullah Tarar, the police tracked the suspects using CCTV footage and mobile phone location data. The gang used to snatch mobile phones, pack them as parcels, and send them through cargo services to Peshawar.

One of the accused was clearly seen escaping from the crime scene in the CCTV footage. The arrested men, identified as Shehzad and Hassan, have a criminal history and were previously involved in multiple theft and robbery cases. During the raid, police recovered ten stolen mobile phones, two pistols, and Rs200,000 in cash from the suspects. A case has been registered against them, and raids are ongoing to catch other members of the smuggling network.

This incident highlights how street criminals are now using courier and cargo services to move stolen items across cities. The police are increasing monitoring of such routes to break these chains of organized crime. In a similar development earlier in Karachi, police revealed that drug traffickers were using motorcycle riders for online deliveries after courier services were blocked. A suspect named Abdul was arrested by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), who gave key information about the drug operation.