CHENNAI: A gang that targeted the crowd at Tasmac outlets and stole mobile phones from customers was arrested by the city police. Ten mobile phones were seized from them.

The Anna Salai Police had registered a case based on a complaint from Jeeva (48), an engineer from Mugalivakkam.

On Wednesday, while buying liquor from a Tasmac outlet on Greams Road, he couldn’t find his phone in his shirt pocket, police said. After examining CCTV footage, police traced and arrested the accused Kiritharan (24) of Veeragutti Street, Saravanan (24) of Navalar Colony, Ranjith (33) of Annai Sathya Nagar, and Vinoth (27) of Model Line Housing Board, Old Washermenpet.

Investigations revealed that the gang travelled by auto and bike, targeting crowded Tasmac shops in Anna Salai, Egmore, Mannadi, and Washermenpet and stole mobile phones from the patrons. Police said that Kiritharan and Saravanan were history-sheeters from RK Nagar station with several cases of robbery and assault against them.

All four were produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody.