New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS): The Delhi Police have arrested a former football coach for stealing mobile phones of the players from the dressing room of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium during a Delhi football league match.

The accused identified as Shekhar Pathak stole the mobile phones with an intention to take revenge on the new coach after he was sacked, the police said.

Pathak was hired as a coach by the trainees at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in 2011, but due to negligence and insincerity towards his duties, he was sacked in 2013.

The police said that 12 mobile phones were stolen from the dressing room during a Delhi football league match on March 13.

"The players of Delhi United Football Club kept their belongings in the cabins of the dressing room. When they returned after the match, they found that their mobile phones and cash were missing," said DCP South Atul Thakur.

The mobile phones were put on surveillance on the basis of which the police traced a person using one of the stolen mobile phones. The police zeroed down on the location and traced the person using the phone. On the basis of the information given by that person, the police conducted a raid at the residence of Pathak from where nine mobile phones were recovered.

During interrogation, he said that he used to work as restaurant manager at a five-star hotel and was a good district level football player himself.

He had also played for the Lions Club from 2004 to 2010.

Pathak told the police that he was angry after being sacked as a coach and started his own football academy in Preet Vihar but he was not very successful with it and had to close it down.

Later, he opened a mobile repairing shop in Mayur Vihar.

With an intention to take revenge, he stole the mobile phones, the police investigation revealed.