Man posing as patient flees with doc’s iPhone, tries to sell it for Rs 1,000

The accused has been identified as S Umar Farooq (48) alias Gana Farooq of Korukkupet. The incident at a private hospital on Portuguese Church Street in Seven Wells on Sunday evening.

According to the police, C Arumugam (64), a retired government doctor, runs a hospital attached to his house. Umar Farooq visited the clinic around 5 pm posing as a patient. “After attending him, the doctor went inside his room to bring some equipment. When he returned, both Farooq and his iPhone were missing,” the police said. Arumugam immediately alerted the police.

Umar Farooq was later found by Jayaprakash, an Armed Reserve cop, when he was trying to sell the iPhone for just Rs 1,000 at a shop near the north beach police station. After Farooq gave contradictory replies, he was brought to the police station for inquiry.

During interrogation, he admitted to have stolen the phone from the clinic. Based on his confession, he was handed over to the Muthialpet police station. The phone was seized from him and handed over to the doctor. Farooq was later produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody. The police said that Umar Farooq is a repeat offender.

In another case, the Flower Bazaar police arrested two individuals for stealing a mobile phone from an auto driver. The accused, S Sathish (21) and E Dheena (19) of Sowcarpet, have other cases pending against them at Elephant Gate and Kothavalchavdi police stations. The duo stole the mobile phone of C Subramani (39) when he was asleep in his autorickshaw on Govindappa Nayakan Street in Flower Bazaar.

When Subramani raised an alarm, another auto driver Gnanamani and a policeman on patrol chased and secured the duo. City police Commissioner A K Viswanathan rewarded Gnanamani, armed reserve personnel I Jayaprakash and head constables K Mathiazhagan and K Paramasivan for their swift action in nabbing the thieves.