Prakasam police recover 361 stolen mobiles worth Rs 50.54 lakh
ONGOLE: The Prakasam police busted a gang involved in selling stolen and lost mobile phones, recovering 361 devices worth Rs 50.54 lakh. The special operation led to arrest of two notorious thieves and five shopkeepers who purchased these phones and resold them.
Prakasam district Superintendent of Police (SP) Garud Sumit Sunil, along with other police officials, organised a press conference at the District Police Office here on Friday. They presented the recovered mobile phones and demonstrated the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal, explaining how to report a lost mobile phone online.
According to the SP, the accused were identified as Ram Lal (34) from Ramdev Mobile Shop in Mastan Dargah Junction of Ongole, Katta Vengaiah (25) from Vellampalli village, and a juvenile from Chimakurthy town.
Additionally, five shopkeepers were charged: Alladi Sudhakar (28), owner of Annapurna Mobiles at Kothapatnam Bus Stand in Ongole, Swapna Mobiles in Maddipadu, and Maruti Mobile Shop on Trunk Road in Ongole; Bhimanadham Ramesh Reddy from Rajiv Nagar in Chimakurthy town, with Ramesh Cell Shop at Gandhi Nagar in Chimakurthy.
The SP explained that taking mobile phone thefts seriously, he deployed eight special police teams to investigate the cases. These teams, using advanced technology, located all 361 mobile phones within a week. He praised the police officials and staff for their successful efforts. He urged the public to promptly report lost or stolen mobile phones via the CEIR portal to facilitate quick investigations and recovery.
The SP also warned mobile phone shopkeepers against participating in illegal activities by colluding with thieves, stating they would face legal consequences. He emphasised the importance of cooperation in preventing mobile theft and ensuring public safety.
Additional SP (Admin) K Nageswara Rao, ASP (Crimes) SV Sridhar Rao, Ongole DSP Kishore Babu, Ongole-1 Town CI Ali Saheb, Ongole-2 Town CI Jagadish, Ongole Taluk CI Khajavali, and other officials were present.
