Broken Phone Brought to Right Place

Stolen portable phones are difficult to sell because of the problems concealing their true ownership.

That was especially true for a man who brought a cellular phone to Muntz Electronics in Van Nuys for service Wednesday. A repairman, suspicious because the phone’s serial number had been scratched out, checked its electronic serial number, which cannot be erased, a store manager said.

He discovered it was the phone stolen April 23 from the auto of the shop’s owner, Jim Muntz.

The would-be client was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property, said Police Sgt. Fred Haptonstal. Police did not identify him.

“We just got lucky,” the shop’s manager said.