Within a span of a month, the Mumbai police busted a series of stolen smartphone rackets, recovering nearly 800 devices and apprehending 21. It was revealed that high-end stolen phones would be smuggled to Nepal and Bangladesh while old ones were circulated in various parts of the country.

In June 2022, constable Sambhaji Kolekar of crime branch unit 6 received a tip that a resident of Maharashtra Nagar in Mankhurd was buying stolen or lost smartphones. Inspector Ravindra Salunkhe, in-charge of unit 6, formed a team to verify this and gauge the modus operandi of the culprits.