STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Religious Affairs Minister Md Faridul Haque Khan’s mobile phone was stolen from his pocket during a namaz-e-janaza in Jamalpur on April 30.

A month later, the iPhone Pro Max was recovered in Malaysia!

The Cyber ​​Crime and Investigation (North) investigated in this connection and recovered the phone from Malaysia after the minister’s personal assistant Ismail Hossain filed a general diary over the theft, Additional Commissioner (Detective Branch) Harun-or-Rashid told a press conference at the DB office yesterday.

Detectives arrested nine persons in this connection from different districts, and recovered 63 stolen mobile phones from their possession.

They are -- Zakir Hossain, the ringleader; Masud Sharif; Ziaul Molla Zia; Rajib Khan Munna; Al Amin Mia; Anwar Hossain alias Sohel; Rasel; Khokon Ali; and Billal Hossain.

The DB chief said the gang, led by Zakir, operates in 80 groups across the country targeting bureaucrats, high-ranking government officials, and politicians at large gatherings to steal mobile phones.

They so far stole around 10,000 mobile phones.

“Zakir used to send the expensive mobile phones to gang members in Chattogram’s Riazuddin Market to smuggle those later abroad, especially in Malaysia, India and the UAE, by courier,” he also said.

According to investigators, the arrestee Munna stole the minister’s phone at the funeral prayer in Jamalpur and sold it for Tk 50,000 to one Rasel.

Rasel then handed it to one Borhan, who smuggled the phone to Malaysia.

The phone has been recovered and sent back from Malaysia, the DB chief added.

Harun urged people to immediately file a case instead of just a GD if their mobile phones are stolen.