Police uncover link between cattle theft gang and extortion of mobile phones, arrest nine suspects

Hyderabad City Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar along with Task Force officers and seized items during a press conference on the case on Saturday (September 19). | Photo credit: By arrangement

A gang allegedly involved in 13 cattle thefts in Telangana and another group targeting mobile phone businesses had overlapping members, with stolen phones eventually being routed through an alleged disposal network stretching from Mumbai to Bangladesh.

Nine people linked to the crimes were arrested in a joint operation by the Commissionerate Task Force, Jubilee Hills Zone and Khammam Police. Three others, including a Bangladeshi national, are on the run.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar said the accused were linked to 17 cases and seized 15 mobile phones, three cars, ₹22 million cash and a number plate.

The cattle theft ring allegedly operated in Nagarkurnool, Mahbubnagar and Nalgonda districts, including the Future City area. MD Tabrez, 40, and Mohd. Rafeeq (54) was allegedly involved in all 13 cases, while Mohammed Zubair Akthar (30) and Mohammed Naveed (24) were involved in some of them.

The gang allegedly targeted isolated cattle sheds late at night, especially during Ramzan and Bakrid when demand was higher. “They administered Xylazine, a sedative, to make the cattle sleepy before loading them into the vehicles. P. Sai Reddy, 35, who worked in a medical shop, allegedly administered the injections,” the commissioner said.

After Ramzan and Bakrid, Tabrez and Rafeeq allegedly moved from cattle theft to window-snapping thefts at mobile phone shops and linked up with Farahan Shaikh, 37, from Mumbai.

After a failed attempt to break into a mobile phone shop in Vijayawada, the trio allegedly targeted a shop in Khammam on June 11. The stolen phones were subsequently disposed of through Mumbai-based middlemen for around ₹20,000, police said.

In July, Tabrez and Rafeeq, along with another associate, allegedly committed two similar thefts at mobile phone shops in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. The group later investigated another theft in Gujarat, but abandoned the attempt after noticing police patrols. They allegedly met with an accident while trying to escape from the police and abandoned their vehicle, which was being used with a fake number plate.

An investigation into mobile phone thefts subsequently led police to an alleged disposal network in Mumbai. Mohd. Zahed Khan alias Raja Bhai (34) allegedly procured the stolen phones through intermediaries and routed them on.

Police said the phones were packed in parcels and transported by road or bus to Kolkata before being smuggled through unauthorized waterways to Bangladesh. Kasim, a Dhaka native who is on the run, allegedly facilitated their transfer to Bangladesh for the job.

Suspicious hawala transactions attached to the network are also being verified, the officer said.

Another absconding accused, Abu alias Afzal, allegedly provided vehicles for the accused but was not involved in the thefts. He allegedly came in contact with some of them when he was lodged in Chanchalguda Central Jail.

Police said the accused were nabbed in Hyderabad on August 17 when they were allegedly planning another theft using a Volkswagen Vento.

Published – 19 Sep 2026 19:13 IST