Burglars from two families held with booty worth Rs 2 crore

HYDERABAD:Police have busted a notorious gang of

burglars

and arrested 12 persons, including members of two families. They also recovered Rs 2 crore worth stolen property from their possession.


North Zone police arrested Md Saddam Ali alias Imran Ali, 23, a welder from Moula Ali, his associate M Potharaju alias Raju, 22, a labourer, and their friend Mohammed Rusthum. Apart from the trio, they also arrested Saddam’s brother Md Anwar Ali, mother Saleema, father Qasim Ali, brother-inlaw Syed Mohammed alias Salman, elder sister Ashiya Begum, younger sister Naziya Begum, Raju’s elder sister A Mamatha, stolen property receivers Chandrakanth Mohite of Malkajgiri and Bapu Anand Arjun of Kavadiguda.

On Monday, police noticed Saddam and Raju travelling on a stolen Honda Activa (TS 10 EL 4346) near Rathifile bus station in Secunderabad and arrested them. The Activa was stolen from Bowenpally area recently. On interrogation, police came to know that the duo had criminal history.

“Saddam and Raju started committing burglaries and thefts since 2010, when they were minors. Subsequently, they were arrested by Malkajgiri, Keesara, Nacharam and Azam Jahi Mills Colony, Parvathgiri, Subedari, Parkal Town, Hanmakonda,

Kakatiya University

, in Warangal, and Jangaon police,” Hyderabad commissioner Anjani Kumar said.

During interrogation, the duo did not confess to any burglaries in the city. “However, when we ran their fingerprints in our database, there was a match from a burglary case registered at the Osmania University police station,” deputy commissioner of police (

DCP

), North Zone, B Sumathi said.

Police then confronted the duo with new evidence, leaving them with no option but to confess about 34 burglaries committed at Chilkalguda, Bowenpally, Trimulgherry, Bowenpally, Chanda Nagar, Kushaiguda, Alwal, Monda Market, Pet Basheerabad, Osmania University, Tukaramgate, Nacharam, Malakpet and Gopalpuram since 2015.

Based on their confession, police arrested the other accused, including the two stolen property receivers and recovered Rs 2 crore worth property, including five kilo gold, 12.5 kilo silver, Rs 7.1 lakh cash, four two-wheelers, documents of a 400 square feet single bedroom flat at Krupa Deepa Apartments, Surya Nagar Enclave, Neredmet and electronic items.

Police said the duo along with their family members conduct recce of affluent houses and then commit burglaries when the occupants go out of the house. Saddam’s brother sits near the target house pretending to be a mentally-disturbed man and watches movement of the victim’s family. “Once the victim’s family leaves the house, he alerts Saddam and Raju,” the DCP added.

The women handle the job of concealing and disposing of the stolen property. The culprits used to cut wires of CCTV cameras or damage digital video recorders before committing a burglary. The arrested persons along with the seized property were produced before court and sent to judicial remand on Tuesday.