Bhubaneswar: Infocity police here busted a gang that allegedly stole mobile phones from parked two-wheelers of candidates appearing for competitive examinations, and arrested three men on Monday.As many as 18 stolen mobile phones and several phone parts were seized from the possession of Dusmant Subudhi (35), Rakesh Kumar Sahoo (28) and Manas Behera (30), said Manas Ranjan Pradhan, ACP (Zone-VI).Police said they came across a strange modus operandi. “The accused would pose as examinees and loiter outside examination centres, carrying books to avoid suspicion. They allegedly targeted candidates after they entered the exam halls, knowing that mobile phones were not allowed inside. Most candidates would leave their phones in the dickeys of motorcycles or under-seat storage compartments of scooters,” said ACP Pradhan.The gang would then allegedly break open the storage compartments and flee with the phones. In some cases, the accused used duplicate keys to open the dickeys, police sources said.The racket came to light after Subhamay Bera (26), a NEET-PG aspirant from East Midnapore in West Bengal, found his mobile phone missing after appearing for the test at an examination centre in Patia area here on Aug 30. He lodged a complaint with the Infocity police the same day.Police examined CCTV footage from the area and got clues about the accused, leading to their arrest. The investigation revealed that Subudhi and Behera had been targeting examinees outside various examination centres for the past year and handing over the stolen phones to Sahoo, who runs a mobile phone repair shop in Bapuji Nagar, police said. He allegedly used to dismantle the stolen phones and used their components to repair other handsets, which were then sold at lower prices. “He deliberately dismantled the phone parts to evade detection,” the ACP said.Police are investigating the gang’s activities and checking whether they were involved in similar thefts elsewhere. Commissionerate police has also decided to share details of the case with police in other districts to ascertain whether similar complaints have been reported.