Hyderabad police nab 17 in smartphone smuggling, seize 1.75 Cr worth phones

Hyderabad/Abids:In a significant criminal network bust, the Hyderabad task force unveiled an international smartphone smuggling gang and arrested seventeen members of the gang including Five Sudanese nationals. Hyderabad police have seized 703 SmartPhones of various mobile phone brands such as Apple Iphone, Samsung, Vivo, RedMi, RealMe, Oneplus, Oppo and POCO phone and others worth around Two crores on Friday.

According to the police, Hyderabad gang members including Mohd Muzammil, Syed Abrar, Syed Saleem,Pathan Rabbani Khan,Mohd Athar, Mohd Zakir, Shaik Azhar ,Mohd Khaja Nizamuddin, Syed Layeeq, Shaik Azhar Moinuddin, Mohd Shafi, J. Yalamanda Reddy and Five Sudanese nationals- Khalid Abdelbagi Mohamed Albadwi, Abdalelah Ahmed Osman Babiker, Aymn Mohammed Salih Abdalla, Anas Siddig Abdelgader Ahmed, and Omer Abdalla Eltayeb Mohamed.

After a spree of mobile phones snatching cases registered under the limits of Bandlaguda, Falaknuma, Bahadurpura, Mangalhat Police Stations of Hyderabad Police Commissionerate and Hayath Nagar PS of Rachakonda Police Commissionerate. The Hyderabad task force jumped into action to curb this increasing menace and to understand the pattern of these offences, a thorough investigation was undertaken by Hyderabad city police.

The Hyderabad gang used to waylaid in isolated places on road during late night hours and snatch mobile phones from the passerby. Moreover these offenses are committed by using a theft bike. After changing into different hands the stolen mobiles would end up in Jagdish market, a famous mobile market in Hyderabad.

Here comes the role of Sudanese, from jagadish market, Sundanese gang used to buy these stolen mobile phones at a very cheap price and smuggle it it Sudan. “Sudanese national Khalid Abdelbagi Mohamed Albadwi and his associates exported these stolen mobiles illegally via sea route to Sudan, where they are re-selling these mobile phones for a huge profit. Necessary legal action shall be taken up against the foreign nationals for indulging in illegal activities,” said Hyderabad police in a press statement.

After thorough investigation, Hyderabad police have apprehended the above said accused persons and seized (703) Smart Phones of various mobile phone brands such as Apple Iphone, Samsung, Vivo, RedMi, RealMe, Oneplus, Oppo and POCO from them. Further investigation is underway in the case.

Further, several stolen cell phones are also being dismantled in niche markets and the resultant components such as mobile screen, camera, speaker are subsequently being used as replacement parts for existing damaged mobiles received from customers at a fraction of price in comparison to original company rates.

One of these accused J. Yellamanda had a shop located in Jagdish Market, Abids where these phones are being purchased at low prices. Reddy after receiving stolen iPhone mobiles and dismantling the same and using its parts for repairing the iPhones of the customers and earning huge profits illegally.