Two ministers among those whose phones were stolen during Arun Jaitley’s funeral

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Updated: Jun 22, 2020 06:47 IST

At least five persons who attended former finance minister Arun Jaitley’s funeral on Sunday reported their phones stolen, including minister of state for environment Babul Supriyo and union minister of state for commerce and industry Som Prakash. The police said they have registered the cases and are trying to trace the phones.

Supriyo said that he and his secretary both lost their phones. “There was a spot where some water was logged and therefore the area got crowded. I think it was that spot where the pickpockets targeted the visitors. We have given complaints and FIRs have been registered,” he said.

The minister said every 10-15 minutes someone claimed to have lost their phone. “I do not blame the police as they cannot trace every pickpocket, but some additional CCTV cameras would help them in keeping such elements away from a gathering,” he said.

Taking a dig at the pickpockets, he said, “As an artist, I must appreciate that the pickpockets’ artistry was better than mine at that time.”

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The Delhi Police’s additional public relations officer Anil Mittal said they had registered five cases based on the complaints received. “The five e-FIRs have been registered on complaints from Babul Supiyo, his secretary Dharmendra Kaushal, Som Prakash, and two other persons, namely—Vinod Kumar and Rattan Dogra,” Mittal said, adding that efforts to trace the phones are being made.

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