A network of more than 50 CCTV cameras helped Delhi Police arrest a 33-year-old history-sheeter for allegedly snatching an iPhone from a US national in the crowded Chandni Chowk area, officials said on Wednesday. The surveillance footage not only captured the crime but also showed the accused being chased by the victim, enabling police to immediately identify and track him.
The incident occurred on January 15 when the victim, Jing Teng (37), a resident of Somerville, Massachusetts, was shopping in the busy market area. According to police, a man riding a scooter snatched Teng’s mobile phone near Omaxe Mall and sped away. An FIR was registered at the Kotwali police station the following day.
Who is Tausif alias Toshif?
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia said a focused and time-bound investigation was ordered because the case involved a foreign national. “A special team analysed footage from over 50 CCTV cameras near the crime scene. Clear visuals showed the accused committing the snatching and being chased by the victim,” the DCP said.
Police circulated the CCTV images among local sources, which led to the identification of the suspect as Tausif alias Toshif, a resident of the Ajmeri Gate area. Officials said he is listed as a “bad character” at the Kamla Market police station and has a long criminal history.
Based on specific inputs, multiple raids were carried out at suspected hideouts, and the accused was arrested on January 19 from the GB Road area. Police said he was allegedly preparing to commit another crime at the time of his arrest.
During interrogation, Tausif admitted to the offence. The stolen iPhone 14 Pro was recovered from his residence, and the scooter used in the crimel owned by his father, was seized. The accused also confessed to snatching another mobile phone near the Old Delhi Railway Station on January 12. Police later confirmed that an e-FIR for that incident had already been registered at the Lahori Gate police station, allowing investigators to solve two snatching cases with a single arrest.
According to police, Tausif is a school dropout who had earlier worked at a meat shop. He allegedly turned to crime due to substance abuse and has been involved in at least 10 cases of robbery and snatching across the national capital. Officials said he has spent over 15 years in criminal activities and was released from jail in October last year.
Safety concerns grow after separate allegation by American woman
The arrest comes at the time concerns have been raised over the safety of foreign travellers in Delhi, following a separate allegation made by an American woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted by a teenage boy at a Delhi Metro station during an eight-day visit to India.
The woman’s account, shared on social media platform X and circulated over the weekend, said the incident deeply affected her and changed her perception of the country. The allegation came to public attention after Gaurav Sabnis, an Indian-origin professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, shared screenshots of messages he said were sent by his former student. Sabnis wrote that he had warned her before the trip to remain vigilant about harassment in Delhi, adding, “Sadly, it came true.”
In her messages, the woman said she faced repeated requests for selfies from the moment she arrived in Delhi, starting at the airport baggage carousel. She said she declined most requests from men but sometimes agreed to photographs with women and children, based on her judgment.
According to her account, the alleged assault took place at a Metro station when a teenage boy, estimated to be 14 or 15 years old, approached her for a photo while accompanied by his mother and sister. She alleged that after putting an arm around her shoulder, the boy groped her and then laughed as if it were a joke.
The woman said she reacted by grabbing the boy by the collar and pushing him away, after which his mother accused her of “overreacting.” She claimed the family defended the boy, saying he had never been close to a blonde woman before and had gotten “carried away.” There is no confirmation so far of a police complaint being filed in connection with this incident, and Delhi Police has not issued an official statement. The account remains an allegation based on the woman’s social media posts.