Police bust international smartphone smuggling gang in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Task Force sleuths on Friday busted an international smartphone smuggling racket with the arrest of 17 people, including five Sudanese nationals. Police seized 703 phones, including iPhones, worth Rs 1.75 crore.

Those arrested included Mohammad Muzammil, Syed Abrar, Syed Salim, Pathan Rabbani Khan, Mohammad Athar, Mohammad Zakir, Sheikh Azhar, Mohammad Khaja Nizamuddin, Syed Layeeq, Sheikh Azhar Moinuddin, Mohammad Shafi and J. Yalmanda Reddy and Sudanese national Khalid Abdelbagi Mohammed Albadawi. , Abdellah Ahmed Osman Babikar, Ayman Mohammed Salih Abdullah, Anas Siddig Abdelgader Ahmed and Omar Abdullah Eltayeb Mohammed.

“Muzammil and Abrar terrorized passers-by in different areas, especially in Bandlaguda, Falaknuma, Bahadurpura, Mangalhat and Hayatnagar police station limits, after snatching the phones during late night hours. Later he sold the stolen phones to a person named Mohammad Salim. Some of these accused like Mohammed Shafi have shops in Jagdish Market, Abids, from where they were purchased at low prices by Albadawi and his associates who exported them to Sudan by sea route. Hyderabad Police Commissioner K. “A mobile repair shop was run by Yelamanda Reddy in Jagadish Market, who specialized in repairing stolen iPhone mobiles,” said Srinivas Reddy.