RAILWAY POLICE MAZHAMA FOILS STOLEN MOBILE RACKET: 59 SMARTPHONES RECOVERED, TWO APPREHENDED

MAZHAMA / SRINAGAR — August 8, 2026: In a major breakthrough against property theft and illegal phone trafficking networks, the personnel of Railway Police Post Mazhama today intercepted two individuals at Mazhama Railway Station during morning hours.

The operation resulted in the recovery of 59 stolen smartphones of various prominent brands.

The action unfolded when alert Railway Police personnel deployed outside Mazhama Railway Station spotted two bike-borne individuals behaving suspiciously while carrying a large polythene bag. Upon being intercepted and questioned by the police team, both individuals failed to provide a satisfactory explanation regarding the presence of the bag in their
possession. A physical check of the bag led to the recovery of 59 modern smartphones.
The two apprehended individuals have been identified as Shahnawaz Ahmad Rather (25 years, S/O Abdul Rehman Rather) and Mehboob Hussain Rather (18 years, S/O Fayaz Ahmad Rather), both residents of Mattipora, Pattan, District Baramulla.

The recovered contraband comprises a wide range of devices, including 12 Samsung, 11 OnePlus, 7 Redmi, 6 Vivo, 5 Oppo, 5 Motorola, 4 Realme, 2 Xiaomi, and individual units of Infinix GT, Nothing, Honor,
Narzo, Google, CMF, and iQOO.
During preliminary questioning, the key suspect, Shahnawaz Ahmad Rather, disclosed that the consignment of mobile phones had been sent to him via courier parcel from Bengaluru in November 2025 by one Showkat Ali Rather (S/O Ali Mohd Rather, R/O Mattipora Pattan).
Upon contacting the family of Showkat Ali Rather, it was established that he has been missing since November 2025.
In this regard an FIR number 3 of 2026 under sections 317 BNS, 147 Railway Act has been registered in Railway Police Station Srinagar. Railway Police have initiated investigating the inter-state parcel trail to trace the origin of the stolen devices and unravel the wider network involved.