Mobile app leads owners of stolen smartphone directly to thief

A couple used the application to chase down the man who stole their phone in West Delhi.

A 22 year old man identified as Sandeep Kumar was likely rather surprised to find himself being arrested after the owners of a smartphone used a mobile app to track him down after what he likely thought was the successful theft of that device.

The owners had an application installed on the mobile phone that allowed it to be tracked and found.

The couple simply activated the mobile app from a remote location and found out where Kumar was hiding so that they could easily hand him over to the police. Kumar has allegedly stolen several mobile devices before, so it must have come as quite a shock to him when his discovery capture occurred as easily as it did for the smartphone owners. Before his arrest, he worked at a power distribution company in Delhi as a recovery agent.

The mobile app was actually meant to help owners to find their smartphones when they have been mislaid.

Nishant Verma, the owner of the stolen smartphone, is a resident of Janakpuri in West Delhi. He explained to the police that the cell phone reception in his area is spotty, so he needs to step outside his home whenever he wants to send a text or make or receive a call. That was exactly what he was doing when he stepped out of the house on August 21, when Kumar allegedly grabbed the iPhone 6 out of his hands before speeding off on a scooter. This, according to one of the police officials involved in the case.

Verma immediately contacted his wife who used the Find My iPhone app on her iPad to track down the stolen smartphone. The application provided her with navigation directions and made it possible for the couple to find out just where the accused was hiding.

Kumar continued to change locations throughout the time that followed the theft, but the couple kept up with him through the mobile app, until they finally spotted his scooter in the Sagarpur area and worked with locals to overpower him. The police were called and Kumar was restrained until the law enforcement could arrive and arrest him.