The Vijayawada Central Crime Station (CCS) police have arrested six members of a notorious burglary gang from Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, for stealing 373 mobile phones and accessories, including 271 iPhones, from a warehouse in Enikepadu. The stolen goods, valued at Rs 2.51 crore, were taken from the Ingram Micro India warehouse on February 6.
NTR District Commissioner of Police (CP) SV Rajasekhar Babu confirmed the arrests of the gang members — Deepchandra Prajapathi (27), Maya Jai Prakash Patel (28), Sunil Kumar Saroj (37), Brijesh Kumar Ugra (25), Mithilesh Kumar (42), and Surendra Kumar Patel (33) — who are believed to have been targeting mobile warehouses for theft. The stolen mobile phones were sold in Kathmandu, Nepal, where the IMEI numbers were blocked, making them untraceable in India.
The gang received information about warehouse locations from an accomplice, Ranjith, and conducted a two-day reconnaissance before breaking into the warehouse. After receiving the complaint, Patamata police initially registered a case, which was later transferred to CCS for further investigation.
Police identified the vehicle used in the crime through CCTV footage, tracing it back to Uttar Pradesh. The breakthrough was made possible with the use of advanced technology and close coordination with authorities in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which helped track down the accused.
Prajapathi, the prime accused, operates a travel business, while the other gang members work as daily wage laborers. Further investigation is ongoing to dismantle the entire network, and authorities are actively searching for Ranjith, who remains at large.
