Mumbaikars held for stealing phones at Lko concert

Two men from Mumbai were arrested for allegedly stealing six high-end mobile phones worth ₹5 lakh from attendees at rapper Honey Singh’s concert in Lucknow on Friday.

The duo, identified as Khateeb Sheikh, 30, and Akash Tambe, 30, was apprehended before they could return to Mumbai, police said on Sunday.

Sushant Golf City station house officer (SHO) Anjani Kumar Mishra said the accused were caught with the stolen devices. Sheikh, a resident of Bachi Devi Chawl in Santacruz East, works as an AC mechanic, while Tambe, a tattoo artist, resides on Golibar Road in Santacruz East, Mumbai.

According to police, the duo arrived in Lucknow by flight on February 28 and checked into a luxury hotel. On Friday night, they attended the concert at Cool Breeze Resort near the ISKCON temple. As the crowd danced in dim lighting, they allegedly picked mobile phones from people’s pockets.

Police sources revealed that the accused had been involved in similar thefts at major concerts in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, and Bengaluru. “They have confessed to targeting live music events, stealing phones, and selling them to fund their lifestyle,” the SHO said. Investigators are now probing their previous activities and possible accomplices.

The duo had planned to sell the stolen phones near a popular mall on Shaheed Path before flying back to Mumbai. However, police, acting on an informant’s tip-off, arrested them on Sunday.

The case came to light when a concertgoer, Asim Khan of Model House Colony, reported his phone missing. Several others also complained of thefts, prompting a police investigation.

The accused have been booked under Sections 303(2), 317(2), and 317(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sent to judicial custody.