The Andhra Pradesh Police on Thursday achieved a major breakthrough by busting an inter-state gang involved in robbing people along the National Highway (NH) 44. The cops said that with ten of the gang falling into the police dragnet, they have cracked two cases where Rs 5.8 crore was robbed from several people.

The operation was led by the Sri Sathya Sai district police of the state, which laid bare a well-organised network engaged in kidnapping, robbery and meticulous surveillance across multiple states.

Cash-laden vehicles targeted

As per the investigating police personnel, the gang members specifically used to target cash-laden vehicles running between Hyderabad and Bengaluru, which is a commercial stretch frequently used for high-value transport.

Notably, the gang executed the first robbery on December 3, 2025, when they intercepted a moving vehicle, smashed its windows, abducted the occupants and looted Rs 2.5 crore. The victims were abandoned at separate locations later.

The second incident unfolded on February 21, when eight masked attackers struck again, overpowering passengers of another vehicle and fleeing with as much as Rs 3 crore after kidnapping them for a brief period.

Accused stayed in lodges, conducted reconnaissance

The police found in their probe that the gang operated with striking precision, travelling from Kerala through Tamil Nadu and Karnataka before committing the robberies. The gang members used to stay in lodges in Dharmapuri to conduct reconnaissance and finalise their plans.

Moreover, to evade detection, they used to travel in vehicles fitted with counterfeit registration plates to avoid being tracked by FASTag, and made cash payments at toll booths.

Police sift through toll booths’ CCTV footage

To escape the police radar, the gang deployed advanced methods. The police learnt that they used fake SIM cards sourced from Kerala and utilised encrypted communication via VOIP services on Moto G35 mobile devices.

The police personnel sighted through CCTV footage across a 200-km stretch of NH-44, including toll booths spanning AP, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Finally, they managed to lay hands on 10 members, including one Syril Mathew, a habitual offender linked to 15 criminal cases.

Authorities are suspecting that the syndicate comprises 21 members operating across several states, including Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The gang’s mastermind is believed to have coordinated operations remotely from Nepal using international communication networks.

11 still at large

While the police have nabbed 10 members of the gang, 11 others are still on the run. Police said they have intensified efforts to trace and apprehend them.