Four men, including a serving constable from Andhra Pradesh police, and jail warden from Telangana, were arrested by the Miyapur police for robbing a cigarette distributor.

The arrested men have been identified as Gayini Srikanth, 36, a warden in a Sangareddy jail, Chidiri Amarnath, 41, a police constable from Special Armed Reserve (SAR) Central Police Line (CPL), AP unit in Amberpet, Md Imran Khan, 32, a delivery boy from Malkajgiri and Vasam Srikanth, 32, a painter from Malakpet.

The case dates back to November 28, 2024, when the complainant collected cigarettes from the ITC distribution centre in IDA, Bollaram, and left on his two-wheeler. The gang stopped him near the Tellapur Government School. Investigations revealed that the gang, posing as police officers, carried out bogus ‘narcotics checks’ before fleeing with the goods.

According to police, key accused Srikanth was addicted to betting and lost ₹6 crore worth cash and properties, which led him to the path of crime. The quartet was linked to at least four other similar incidents this year — in Alwal on February 24 and May 8, Miyapur on April 7, and Saifabad on May 3.

Interestingly, Srikanth, Amarnath and Imran were arrested by the Jeedimetla police in 2021, and rejoined their jobs after remand and suspension.