delhi

Updated: Jun 17, 2019 10:16 IST

A 20-year-old compulsive user of ‘TikTok’, a short video mobile phone application, has been arrested for snatching a high-end phone worth Rs 1 lakh. Police said the suspect, Jatin Nagar, was arrested on Saturday from Vikas Marg in east Delhi’s Preet Vihar.

They said Nagar wanted the phone for recording “better quality videos for his TikTok account’.

Deputy commissioner of police (east) Jasmeet Singh said on Wednesday, Jatin Chhabra, a resident of north Delhi’s Gujarawala Town, filed a complaint with the Preet Vihar police station. Chhabra alleged that he wanted to sell his iPhone XS and had given an advertisement on an online commerce site.

Singh said a few days ago Chhabra received a call from a buyer and after negotiations the deal was finalised for Rs 80,000. Both the parties agreed to meet near the Preet Vihar traffic signal to exchange the phone for cash.

On June 12 around 6 pm, Chhabra reached the meeting point. A man on a KTM bike reached there and identified himself as the buyer. He asked Chhabra to show his iPhone so that he can check it before giving the cash. As Chhabra took out his iPhone, the biker allegedly snatched it and sped away. By the time Chhabra could shout for help, the snatcher had fled the crime spot, said a senior police officer associated with the case.

The DCP said that a snatching case was registered and investigation was taken up by the local police. Investigators collected details about the suspects and his tracked down his movements.

On Saturday, the police received information that the suspect would come to Preet Vihar area on the bike.

“A trap was laid and Nagar was apprehended from Vikas Marg. The stolen iPhone was recovered from his possession,” said the DCP.

During the interrogation, the officer said, Nagar told the police that he worked as a call centre executive with a popular food outlet and also earned money as a “TikTok artist”. Nagar claimed that his TikTok videos were not getting desired hits as the their quality was not good. Also, the viewers of his videos often commented that he should get a better phone to shoot quality videos, the officer said.

“As Nagar’s financial condition did not allow him to buy a costly phone, he hatched the idea of stealing someone’s iPhone. He scanned the online commerce site, selected an iPhone XS seller and tricked the seller into meeting him to sell the phone after impersonating as a potential buyer,” the officer added.

Nagar does not have a criminal record, the police said.