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Delhi Police found a secret phone assembly setup in a narrow lane in Karol Bagh. Five men were caught, and officers took more than 1,800 phones along with software used to change IMEI numbers.

Police said this is one of the biggest cases of IMEI tampering seen in Central Delhi in recent months.

During questioning, the men said they bought old phones from scrap sellers and new outer parts from China. They joined old motherboards with new bodies to make the phones look fresh. After that, they changed the IMEI numbers with a tool called “WRITEIMEI 0.2.2”.

The group said they had been doing this for two years.

The local police team had been keeping an eye on the area for around 15 days after getting a tip. When they reached the building in Beedanpura, they found all five men working on phones and changing IMEI numbers with a laptop.

Police took 1,826 phones—both keypad and touchscreen—along with a laptop, IMEI software, a scanning tool, many phone bodies, and IMEI sticker sheets.

The men caught are Ashok Kumar (45), said to be the main person, along with Ramnarayan (36), Dharmender Kumar (35), Deepanshu (25), and Deepak (19). They were selling these changed phones in local markets.

An FIR has been filed under BNS sections 318(4) and 112, section 65 of the IT Act, and sections 42(3)(c) and 42(3)(e) of the Telecom Act, 2023.

Police are now checking how the parts were sourced, who supplied the motherboards, how the phones were moved to markets, and who else may be linked. Officers said more action may happen soon.

A late-night fight in Delhi’s Chhawla area ended in a crime that shocked the neighbourhood. A 44-year-old woman lost her life after her live-in partner, Virendra Singh, attacked her during a heated argument about his drinking.

Police say Virendra, 35, moved her body to his car soon after the fight. He wanted to take it somewhere far, but because he was drunk, he could not drive properly. He left the body in the back seat, went inside the house again, drank more, and fell asleep.

The next morning, a neighbour spotted the woman’s body inside a parked Swift car and alerted the police.

When officers reached the spot, they found injury marks and scratches on the woman’s face. Police later learned that the couple had been staying together for two years. Virendra, who is married and has children, had bought a three-floor house in Chhawla using money from the sale of the woman’s earlier home in Palam.

Around ?21 lakh from that sale was still with Virendra, which often became the reason for fights between them.

During questioning, Virendra accepted that he killed her. He said the fight started because she tried to stop him from drinking, and in anger, he pressed her neck with his elbow.

After this, he called two friends—a man and a woman—who helped him take the body down to the car. They left soon after.

Virendra tried to drive away to get rid of the body but only moved about 100 metres due to his drunken state. He then returned home and slept.

Police arrested him from the house. They are now looking for the two friends who helped him shift the body.

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People in Delhi will soon have a new activity to enjoy. From Saturday, hot air balloon rides will begin at two parks on the Yamuna floodplains, run by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

A test ride took place at Baansera Park earlier this week. The Lieutenant Governor, V.K. Saxena, was also present during the trial. Each ride will last around 10 minutes, and the cost will be ?3,000 per person, plus taxes.

The balloons will rise up to 100–150 feet. The Airports Authority of India has also allowed them to go up to 200 feet if needed.

For now, the rides will be held at Baansera Park in Sarai Kale Khan and Asita East Park in Laxmi Nagar. If more people show interest, the DDA may add rides at the Yamuna Sports Complex in Surajmal Vihar and the Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex.

At the start, the rides will run only in the evening. Daytime rides may be added later based on public demand. A DDA spokesperson said the balloons will operate for four hours each day, and the time can be extended if required.

This activity is part of the DDA’s plan to improve the Yamuna floodplains and create more spaces for leisure. Asita, which once had illegal structures, has now been turned into a green park. Baansera, which used to be a dumping area for construction waste, has been changed into a bamboo-themed park with over 30,000 bamboo plants, three water bodies, and a musical fountain.

Officials also said that a ferry cruise on the Yamuna is planned for early next year.

Both the Yamuna Sports Complex and the Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex are important recreational spots in the city.