Hyderabad, April 26 Hyderabad Police have busted an international smartphones smuggling and snatching gang and apprehended 17 accused including five Sudanese nationals, in this connection.
The staff of the Commissioner's Task Force, South Zone Team along with Bandlaguda police seized 703 smartphones worth around Rs 1.75 crore.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner K. Sreenivasa Reddy told mediapersons that the gang was busted during the investigation into a spate of mobile phone snatching and theft across the city.
The police discovered that a major criminal network has been operating in the city involving cell phone snatchers, a host of receivers of these stolen goods and also traders (both national and international) who are in the business of unlawful transportation of these cell phones out of the country to sell them.
Police found that several stolen cell phones were also being dismantled and the resultant components such as mobile screen, camera, and speakers are subsequently being used as replacement parts for damaged mobiles received from customers.
All the accused, including five Sudanese nationals, are residents of Hyderabad.
Police said Mohd Muzammil alias Mujju, engaged in wedding pandal decoration and Syed Abrar, a lorry mechanic, with desire to lead a lavish life snatched cell phones by terrorising passersby during late night hours in isolated areas.
They also used a motorbike for snatching mobile phones under the limits of Bandlaguda, Falaknuma, Bahadurpura, Mangalhat police stations of Hyderabad Police Commissionerate and Hayath Nagar police station of Rachakonda Police Commissionerate.
Many of the accused are mobile phone technicians or were engaged in such work in the past.
Two of the accused had shops in Jagdish Market, Abids where these phones were being purchased at low prices by Sudanese national Khalid Abdelbagi Mohamed Albadwi and his associates and the same were being exported illegally via sea route to Sudan, where they were re-selling these mobile phones for a huge profit.
Police seized 703 smartphones of various brands such as Apple, Samsung, Vivo, RedMi, RealMe, Oneplus, Oppo and POCO.
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