Woman orchestrates snatching of husband's phone to extract intimate photos with boyfriend

Indian Express

11-07-2025

When two men on a scooter snatched the phone of a man in South Delhi's Sultanpur on June 19 while he was on his way home from the office, the victim blamed it on his ill luck. However, only 15 days later, his wife was 'bound down' for orchestrating the theft, as the man's phone contained photographs of her being intimate with another man, the Delhi Police said on Friday.
In legal terms, to be 'bound down' means to be required to appear before the investigating officer or the court on a given date. The expression is usually used in court orders to indicate that an accused is 'bound' by surety or personal guarantee to appear before authorities.
According to the police, the incident happened when the complainant was near a factory in Sultanpur.
'A PCR call was received by the Fatehpur Beri police station regarding a mobile phone snatching near Old UK Paint Factory… The complainant reported that two masked persons on a scooter snatched his mobile phone and fled,' DCP (South) Ankit Chauhan said.
A team led by SHO Rajesh Sharma of Fatehpur Beri police station then embarked on the snatchers' trail. Around 70 CCTVs were assessed, and a man clad in a blue T-shirt was seen riding the pillion of a scooter towards Vasant Kunj. When the police checked the vehicle's number plate, it turned out to be a rented one, said the police.
'It was found that the scooter had been rented from Daryaganj for one day on June 19,' Chauhan said.
When the police visited the rental shop, officers obtained the details of the accused, as they had handed over an Aadhaar card number as proof of identity at the shop, said the police. The cellphone number in the Aadhaar card was put under surveillance, which revealed that the accused had fled to Rajasthan after the incident, police added.
Officers said that considering the amount the accused paid for the scooter and a trip to Barmer, they realised that the theft was not carried out for money.
'The accused were traced to Balotra in Barmer. A team was dispatched to Rajasthan, and the accused, Ankit Gahlot, was apprehended. The snatched mobile phone was recovered from his possession,' Chauhan said.
During questioning, Gahlot allegedly revealed that the snatching was carried out on the orders of the complainant's wife, confirming the assumptions of the police, said an officer. 'The woman allegedly told Gahlot when her husband would return from office, and the route he would take,' the officer added.
'Gahlot revealed that the victim's wife had an illicit relationship with a man, and their intimate photos were stored in her husband's mobile phone. To retrieve and erase the images, she orchestrated the snatching,' Chauhan said.
The woman (25 was bound down on Wednesday. She has admitted to the crime, police said.