Inter-state cell phone thieves gang arrested

​Mahbubnagar: The Jadcherla police arrested an inter-state gang of cell phone thieves on Wednesday and recovered 72 smart mobile phones worth Rs 50,0000 from the culprits. 

According to police, Yellaiah and Gauri, both auto-rickshaw drivers, who hailed from both from Kurnool district, had come to Mahbubnagar district for a living a few years ago. 

As they could not earn enough by driving auto-rickshaws to meet their high livestyle, they had resorted to rob passengers travelling in auto-rickshaws by diverting their attention and they were also involved in so many pickpocketing cases. 

“Two persons Yellaia and Gouri, both residents of Kurnool district in Andhra Pradehs, had come to Mahabubnagar for a living by driving auto-rickshaws. However eventually they both formed a gang and decided to earn easy money by robbing mobile phones and selling them in Hyderabad. 

The modus operandi of duo was to target those gullible passengers by diverting their attention and decamping with cell phones and sometimes even money from the passengers. In our investigation it was revealed these two culprits had looted more than 72 mobile phones and decamped with money from gullible passengers from Kaverampet, Bhootpur, Yelkicharla, Kollapur, Gadwal, Atmakur, Makthal, Pebbair, Iza, Shantinagar, Alampur, Sardarnagar, Shamshabad, Maheshwaram and Sangareddy, Vemulavada, Manchiryal, Medak and other area across Telangana,” said Jadcherla Crime Branch police. 

The police, on receiving a complaint from an RTC bus passenger travelling from Kurnool to Hyderabad about the theft of his Samsung j2 mobile phone worth Rs 8000, the Jadcherla police crime branch formed a team and were keeping an eye on suspected auto drivers and passengers in the RTC buses in Jadcherla RTC bus stand. 

They came across a woman carrying bagful of cell phones. Suspecting some foul play, the police questioned her. The two auto-rickshaw drivers too were taken into custody. After interrogation, six persons, including the woman, named Sandhya, were arrested, the police said.  The police have booked a case and sent arrested persons in judicial remand Three others are still at large.