Hyderabad: Teen held for bike thefts, vehicles worth Rs 15 lakh seized

Hyderabad: A 16-year-old school dropout, following in his maternal uncle's footsteps, began stealing metal parts and small household items, and selling them as scrap to make money. Over time, he became the leader of a gang. The Cyberabad Police nabbed him and three of his associates within the limits of Alwal Police Station on Monday. They found that the accused were involved in at least 16 cases of theft and recovered property worth Rs 12.8 lakh from their possession.

The leader of the gang is his parents' only son. He quit school and started working at a young age because of financial problems in the home. He closely watched his maternal uncle who was also involved in the commission of thefts, for which he was arrested a long time ago. The boy started stealing metal parts from shops and household articles like taps to sell as scrap. He began enjoying the easy money that he was making and became addicted to smoking and alcohol.

Over time, he realised that his earnings were not enough to fulfil his desires. The police identified the associates as K. Prashanth and V. Ganesh, both auto-rickshaw drivers, and V. Chinna, a daily wage earner. DCP Y. Sai Shekar said the associates while driving their auto-rickshaws, would identify locked houses in and around Alwal.