Hyderabad: Jeedimetla Police on Tuesday arrested five members of a notorious mobile snatching gang and recovered stolen property worth ₹3.5 lakh, including nine mobile phones and two motorcycles.
The gang, all residents of Jagadgirigutta and Kukatpally, was tracked down through extensive CCTV analysis and technical surveillance. The breakthrough came after a complaint was filed by 21-year-old D. Akhila, who reported being attacked and robbed near Subham Hotel, Shapur Nagar, on July 27. She sustained an injury to her ear during the snatching.
The arrested were identified as:
R. Vaijayanth alias Varun (19), Kukatpally
R. Shiva (21), Deenabandu Colony, Jagadgirigutta
R. Naresh Nayak (23), Anjaiahnagar
Kumar and Venkat, both from Jagadgirigutta
According to police, the group routinely gathered behind metro stations and bus stops to consume ganja and alcohol. Intoxicated, they roamed areas like Kukatpally, Jeedimetla, Madhapur, and Moosapet, targeting pedestrians especially women using mobile phones and carried out thefts and assaults.
Recovered items included a TVS Ntorq 125 linked to a theft case at KPHB PS, and an Apache motorcycle used in the offence. The operation was led by ACP Naresh Reddy (Balanagar Division) with coordinated efforts from Inspector G. Mallesh, DI S. Kakakaiah, and team under DCP K. Suresh Kumar and Addl. DCP V. Satyanarayana.
All suspects were found to have prior records involving phone snatching and vehicle thefts in Hyderabad and Cyberabad.
