Inter-state gang of bus thieves busted

Gold, mobile phones all worth `10L seized from suspects

A five-member interstate gang of thieves was apprehended by the Special Operation Team of Rachakonda police for allegedly targeting passengers travelling in private buses at night.

The accused were identified as Mintu Kumar, 35, Rajendar Singh, 28, Mohd Azhar, 24, Sanjeev Kumar, 34, Rakesh, 25, all natives of Amroha district in UP, police said, adding that one Arshad, an associate, was absconding.

Officials seized 19 tolas of gold ornaments, `1.5 lakh and 10 mobiles phones all worth `10 lakh from them, said SOT, Malkajgiri inspector Naveen Kumar.

He said the gang members used to travel in buses to metros like Chennai and Bengaluru. When the passengers fell asleep, the gang used to open the lock of the baggage and steal valuables. They usually got down before the bus reached the destination, the inspector said.

Their modus operandi was to operate for about a month before going to their village, he said. The gang discarded the SIM cards using which it used to book bus tickets. Police said the gang targeted southern cities because the passengers generally carried more gold.

Based on a tip-off, SOT Rachakonda team along with Vanasthalipuram police apprehended the gang. The arrested persons along with the seized property were handed over to Vanasthalipuram police for further action.