Mumbai: Teen plots to claim insurance, builds self destructing device – Times of India

MUMBAI: A teenager was detained by police after he plotted to claim insurance by designing a device that would self-destruct while being ferried by courier. The boy told police he watched YouTube tutorials to learn how to make the device.
On July 12, workers were sorting out parcels at the warehouse of a courier company in Jogeshwari (E). Suddenly, one parcel exploded and went up in flames. Nobody sustained major injuries. The courier firm contacted police the next day.
When police visited the warehouse, they were stunned to discover the contents of the burnt parcel. There were firecrackers, a cellphone and an electric circuit with batteries. Jogeshwari police registered an FIR. Investigators asked the courier firm for the sender’s address. The sender was from Santacruz (E) and turned out to be a juvenile.
“The boy told us that two months ago he had seen an insurance firm’s advertisement online. Through the advertisement, he learnt that if an item gets damaged while being shipped/in transit, the insurance company would pay the owner its original cost and an additional 10% as compensation. The boy hit upon a plan to make quick money,” said the police officer.
He purchased two computer processors, cellphones and memory cards, and prepared a fake purchase invoice of Rs 9.8 lakh. He then designed an electric circuit device, placing batteries, firecrackers and a mobile phone. Once an alarm on the phone buzzed, the device was meant to go up in flames. The device was packed in a box along with the fake invoice and marked to a bogus address in Delhi.
As per his plan, the device exploded while being handled by workers. But the teen had not imagined that the courier firm would approach cops. He was booked by Jogeshwari police and sent to an observation home in Dongri.