TIRUPATI: Chittoor police on Tuesday busted an interstate hi-tech gang that stole computer parts and peripherals from various educational institutions in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Five of the gang arrested have been identified as K. Murali (40), P. Sekhar (39) of Vellore district in Tamil Nadu, P. Venkata Siva Reddy (32), K. Venkata Subba Reddy (32) and P. Gopi (32), hailing from Kadapa district.
District police have recovered from them 1,140 RAMs, 95 processors, five monitors, three CPUs, a four-wheeler car and ₹ 1.50 lakh in cash.
Disclosing details of the case at a press conference held at the district police headquarters, superintendent of police Y. Rishanth Reddy said the gang members targeted educational institutions, particularly engineering colleges, and stole computer parts and accessories from there.
Police got scent of the racket during vehicular checking at Rangampeta cross roads in Puthalapattu mandal and found 200 RAMs being transported to Bengaluru. Those carrying them could not produce any records of them.
Explaining modus operandi of the gang, the SP said gang members broke locks of computer labs in colleges during night time and stole computers and hardware items. They have been doing so since 2010, so far targeting 28 institutions in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. They then sold the stolen goods in Bengaluru.
Based on their confession, police recovered 940 RAMs, 95 processors, five monitors, three CPUs and ₹ 1 lakh in cash from a computer peripherals seller, identified as Bharani of Vellore, to whom the gang sold majority of computer goods.
The accused also confessed to have stolen 221 RAMs, 221 processors from CRR Engineering College in Eluru and sold them at Chennai’s Burma Market for ₹ 2 lakh. Likewise, they also stole computers, parts and peripherals from three engineering colleges in Chittoor district, two each in Guntur, Kadapa and Kurnool districts, four in Nellore district, and one in East Godavari district.
