Delivery boys steal 34 phones, Rs 1.70L recovered

The accused were identified as S Vinothkumar (22) of Red Hills and D Johnson Lemarie (24) of Ayapakkam, police said.

They were arrested based on a complaint by D Ashok, assistant manager of Delivery Private Ltd at Ambattur Industrial Estate, where the duo was employed as delivery boys for the past few months.

The firm is into delivering goods ordered online by customers and deposit the cash to the companies from where these merchandise are bought.

It was a thorough audit conducted recently by the firm that brought their crime to light. The audit revealed that 34 mobile phones did not reach the customers over a period of time and payment is due for the same.

Based on Ashok’s complaint, Ambattur Estate police registered a case and began investigation. After finding that Vinothkumar and Johnson were behind the theft, police picked them up for questioning. The duo reportedly admitted that they sold the brand new, unboxed phones at Burma Bazaar. Police seized Rs 1.70 lakh from them, who were remanded in judicial custody on Thursday.

Police said Vinothkumar, who studied mathematics for graduation, had been working in the firm for the last four months as he had to clear one paper, while Johnson, a diploma holder, had joined the firm as delivery boy only two months ago.