Tirupati police recover 195 stolen phones bound for Bangladesh, four arrested

Superintendent of Police L. Subbarayudu inspecting the mobile phones recovered from an inter-state gang in Tirupati on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: K.V. POORNACHANDRA KUMAR The Tirupati police on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) recovered a huge cache of 195 mobile phones and five tablet PCs stolen from a retail store just minutes before they were to be shipped to Bangladesh.The gang’s kingpin Alam Shaik (49), who is wanted in twelve cases across Jharkhand, Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, was arrested along with Md. Basheeruddin Shaik (66), Tonic Shaik (32), and Md. Ashmoul Shaik.After a robbery at a major outlet, which is part of a State-wide retail chain, the police swung into action and solved the crime within six days using intelligence inputs and technology