Mazhama/Srinagar, Aug 8 (JKNS): Railway Police Post Mazhama on Saturday apprehended two persons at Mazhama Railway Station and recovered 59 smartphones of various brands, officials said.
The action was taken during the morning hours after Railway Police personnel deployed outside the station noticed two bike-borne individuals behaving suspiciously while carrying a large polythene bag.
The duo was intercepted and questioned but allegedly failed to provide a satisfactory explanation regarding the bag. During a physical check, police recovered 59 smartphones from their possession.
The apprehended persons have been identified as Shahnawaz Ahmad Rather, 25, son of Abdul Rehman Rather, and Mehboob Hussain Rather, 18, son of Fayaz Ahmad Rather, both residents of Mattipora, Pattan, Baramulla.
The recovered phones include 12 Samsung, 11 OnePlus, seven Redmi, six Vivo, five Oppo, five Motorola, four Realme and two Xiaomi devices, besides one each of Infinix GT, Nothing, Honor, Narzo, Google, CMF and iQOO.
During preliminary questioning, Shahnawaz Ahmad Rather allegedly disclosed that the consignment had been sent to him through a courier parcel from Bengaluru in November 2025 by Showkat Ali Rather, son of Ali Mohd Rather, a resident of Mattipora, Pattan.
Police said that upon contacting Showkat Ali Rather’s family, it was learnt that he has been missing since November 2025.
In this connection, FIR No. 03/2026 under Sections 317 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and 147 of the Railway Act has been registered at Railway Police Station Srinagar.
Railway Police have initiated an investigation into the inter-state parcel trail to trace the origin of the recovered devices and ascertain the wider network involved. (JKNS)