Cops bust stolen cellphone ‘ring'

Police from the 106th Precinct arrested two men and seized hundreds of cellphones last week during a raid on a Woodhaven jewelry store/cellphone dealership that they believe is the driving force behind stolen cellphone traffic in that neighborhood.
According to Deputy Inspector John Doherty, the Precinct’s commanding officer, the owners of Neena Jewelers/Royal Wireless located at 118-01 Liberty Avenue, Rajinder Singh, 35, and Sandeep Kundar, 28, were arrested and charged with criminal possession of stolen property, during a raid Thursday, November 2 at approximately 6:30 p.m.
Police confiscated over 300 stolen cellphones, business records pertaining to the illegal purchase and sale of cellphones and $760 in cash, Doherty said. Neither suspect has a prior police record.
&#8220We developed information that teenagers and young adults would go to this location after robbing people for cellphones,” Doherty said, explaining that they received between $20 and $50 per phone depending on the make and model. Singh and Kundar would then resell the phones for $150 to $200. Police got the tip about three to four weeks ago while questioning a 19-year-old male cellphone thief.
&#8220You have to realize that in this precinct, the robberies and grand larcenies are driven by cellphones,” said Lt. Michael Coyle, who estimated that they represent about 50 percent of those crimes in that precinct.
According to Doherty, who said the trade in stolen cellphones is being driven by unscrupulous businesspeople trying to make a quick buck, some phones are particularly tempting and easy targets. High-end phones can cost as much as $600 and because many young people simply hold them in their hands or attach them to their belts, they’re within easy reach of a would-be thief, he said.
To reduce the likelihood of a child’s phone being stolen, Doherty recommended that parents purchase inexpensive models or use those that come free with a cellular service contract. He also suggested that parents consider cellphones that dial only a few numbers and are equipped with a global positioning system so they can monitor their children’s whereabouts.
&#8220Nobody wants a phone where they can only dial somebody else’s parents or 911,” he said.
According to Doherty, the store did not have a secondhand dealer’s-or pawnshop-license. Pawnshops are required by law to ask for photo identification and maintain transaction records for police review. These records can help police recover items that were used in or taken during a crime. &#8220By them having an illegal secondhand pawnshop it was preventing us from doing inspections to recover property of people who were victims of crimes,” Doherty said.
The precinct requests that anyone with information regarding the purchase or sale of stolen cellphones contact its special operations lieutenant at 718-848-4403.