CHENNAI: Dressed in orange dhoti and a shirt, with a cotton bag dangling from his shoulders and holy ash smeared across his forehead, 40-year-old Dhanapalan (*name changed) comes across as a religious man. But the look is deceptive for he plies a trade in the grey market and negotiates deals in code language.When TOI met Dhanapalan near Fort Railway Station, he was about to strike a deal with a mobile snatcher. Dhanapalan began the conversation with a younger man, dressed in ripped jeans, with the word ‘dhabbi’ (code word for mobile phone). When the man nodded an assent, Dhanapalan guided him to Burma Bazaar where most of the stolen mobiles are sold. As they walked through the narrow lanes, others lauded him for bringing a new ‘thakko’ (thief). But Dhanapalan winked past them and walked the man to a shop that sells phones. The shopkeeper took them to the basement where stolen mobile phones are tampered with and stored.But everyone in Burma Bazaar and Ritchie Street does not hoard such phones, there are specific dealers and they have brokers. Dhanapal is one of them. He has many ‘thakkos’.Dhanapal said buyers look for phones that have been unlocked and were untraceable. Some dealers tamper with the IMEI number to make them untraceable, but that is expensive, he said. iPhones, because of their security, are not in demand, but their parts are, he said. “Around 350 phones land in Ritchie Street and Burma Bazaar daily,” Dhanapalan said.With the deal done in 45 minutes Dhanapalan returned to his car and drove to EVR Salai. Also a police informer, Dhanapalan alerted a special team that snatchers could be on the prowl. He pointed to a woman walking across a road with her eyes fixed on the mobile and said, “Snatchers target such people. The elderly, those waiting for cabs and people engrossed in conversation are easy targets,” he said.But selling a stolen phone in the city’s grey market is one part of the business. Such devices change hands thrice to mislead the police and are shipped to Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh for end users. Dhanapalan said the phones sell for decent prices outside Tamil Nadu.The ‘thakko’ who risks it all gets very little though. For Android phones valued at Rs 10,000, he earns Rs 4,000. But from this he has to pay commission to the broker, who also collects money from the shopkeeper. “Most men snatch phones to buy ganja and liquor unlike chain snatchers who want to earn more money,” said the broker.Police said they get around 200 requests to track stolen phones every month. “A database of IMEI numbers is needed to curb theft and misuse of stolen sets in criminal activities,” said additional commissioner of police, north and west, Dinakaran.Police recover some of these phones. A policeman working in a special team said at times shopkeepers have to be paid to get back stolen phones. But if the new user is traced, he gives in to a little pressure. After all no one wants police trouble for an old phone, a policeman said.