Hyderabad, Sep 19 (PTI) A nine-member gang allegedly involved in cattle thefts and an international stolen mobile phone disposal racket was apprehended here, police said on Saturday.
The accused were allegedly involved in 13 cattle-theft cases across Telangana and subsequent mobile-shop thefts in Khammam (in Telangana) and Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar told reporters.
Acting on credible information, police teams nabbed the accused on September 18, while they were allegedly planning to commit another offence in the city.
The stolen mobile phones were allegedly disposed of through an organised network extending to Mumbai and Bangladesh. During the operation, cash suspected to be proceeds of the stolen property was also seized, the Commissioner said.
Police seized 15 mobile phones, three four-wheelers besides Rs 22 lakh cash from the accused, who are residents of Hyderabad and Mumbai and also receivers of the stolen mobile phones.
Investigation further revealed that two main accused in cattle-theft offences, shifted their focus to shutter-lifting thefts targeting mobile-phone shops, police said.
On June 11, the accused allegedly committed theft of 160 phones at a mobile-phone shop in Khammam. Another accused having close contacts in Mumbai for disposal of stolen mobile phones, facilitated the disposal through middlemen/facilitators, and the stolen phones were procured for approximately Rs 20 lakh, police said.
In July 2026, the accused travelled to Madhya Pradesh and allegedly committed thefts at two mobile-phone shops in Ujjain. Over 200 stolen phones were disposed through a Mumbai-based associate.
Investigation further revealed that another accused in Mumbai, who acted as a receiver and disposer of stolen mobile phones, was subsequently routing the stolen phones through his network for onward disposal in Bangladesh through another accused, who is a native of Dhaka and is absconding, police said.
After the stolen phones were collected in Mumbai, they were packed into parcels and transported by road/bus towards Kolkata. From Kolkata, the phones were allegedly smuggled through waterways into Bangladesh through unauthorised channels for disposal in the international market.
The investigation also revealed alleged financial transactions connected with the disposal network, including suspected Hawala transactions, which are being further verified. The stolen mobile phones were allegedly disposed of through channels where the devices were difficult to trace or track through their IMEI numbers, they added. PTI VVK VVK ROH
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