In a case straight out of a Bollywood script, a real-life con couple from Delhi, dubbed the ‘Bunty and Babli’, has been apprehended for a series of daring laptop thefts across India. Identified as Pawan Kumar Bir Singh and Anita Sharma, the duo was arrested on a train near Bihar’s Bodh Gaya on November 16. Their crime spree, spanning multiple cities, involved the theft of over 150 laptops, valued at nearly ₹35 lakh, which were later sold in Delhi’s grey market.
A String of Thefts Across India
The couple’s most recent heist involved stealing 38 laptops from a trader in Nagpur. According to reports, they posed as directors of an IT company, winning the trader’s trust with their charm and Anita’s fluent English. They convinced the trader to supply laptops for setting up a workstation at a rented hall in Laxmi Nagar, Delhi. However, the next day, the duo disappeared with the laptops, leaving no trace.
In another major theft, they reportedly stole 85 laptops from a shop in Noida, employing similar tactics.
Modus Operandi: Charm and Disguise
The con artists used their wit and charisma to dupe laptop traders, adopting sophisticated personas to appear legitimate. Once they secured their loot, they vanished, selling the laptops in grey markets at heavily discounted prices ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹15,000. These laptops were then resold by grey market dealers at prices between ₹25,000 and ₹30,000.
Catching the Con Artists
The police launched a probe after a showroom owner in Nagpur filed a complaint. Using advanced cellphone surveillance, investigators traced the duo’s location to a train in Bihar. Their plans to conduct another heist in Puri were thwarted when authorities apprehended them before they could strike again.
The Bajaj Nagar police recovered 12 laptops from Delhi’s grey market as part of the investigation.
Life on the Run
Much like the fictional Bunty and Babli, Pawan and Anita lived a flamboyant lifestyle. After each successful heist, they escaped to holiday destinations until their stolen funds were exhausted.
Legal Proceedings
The couple has been remanded to police custody until November 23, with further investigations underway to uncover the full extent of their crimes.
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