The accused were caught selling the equipment at a photo studio in Dockyard area
A picture of the three accused teens who stole the camera lens. Pic/ Suraj Ojha
The Sewri police have arrested three teenagers for allegedly stealing three camera lenses and other equipment of a certain TikTok star. Niyaz Ahmad, whose team goes by the name team555 on the social media video app, was shooting a video at Mazagon Dock along with his friends on August 15 when the incident happened.
"We were making an Independence Day special video for our TikTok profile at the dock when it suddenly began to rain. We went inside our car and took the camera, but forgot to pick up the bag that contained the lenses and other equipment worth Rs 50,000. When we returned to the spot after about 15 minutes, we noticed that the bag was missing," said Ahmad, 23.
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Ahmad said they could not file a police complaint until August 19 as they had several contracts lined up. "As soon as they were free, they approached the Sewri police station and lodged an FIR. In the complaint, they told the police that they had noticed a few teenagers loitering around near their shooting spot. They gave the police their physical description, based on which, the cops started a manhunt," Said Dr, Rashmi Karandikar DCP (Port zone).
The cops gathered information and found that the teenagers were likely residents of South Mumbai. They directed the photo studios in South Mumbai to alert the police if anyone tries to sell camera lenses illegally. After four hours of intense search, the police received a call from a photo studio in Dockyard area about three boys trying to sell lenses at any rate.
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The cops rushed to the shop and caught the trio. "During the interrogation, the accused broke down and confessed to their crime," Sub-inspector Kiran Mhandhare of Sewri police station told mid-day. "It was World Photography Day on August 19 and we decided to give Ahmad a gift by finding his lenses," said another officer.
The accused, identified as Farhad Shaikh, Arbaz Dhanse, and Zamil Shaikh -- all 19-year-olds, have been booked under Sections 379 (theft) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. Ahmad, who has over 3.10 lakh followers, later uploaded his I-Day video on TikTok which attracted over 1.2 lakhs views.
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