Kothagudem police crack chain‑snatching cases, eight held

Kothagudem police have busted a chain‑snatching gang operating across several mandals, arresting eight accused including an inter‑State offender. Six gold chains and three stolen two‑wheelers worth Rs 26 lakh were recovered, while the prime accused Nagendra Babu was found involved in over 80 theft cases across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Kothagudem: The district police have solved a series of chain-snatching cases that took place in different parts of the district and arrested eight accused, including one inter-state offender.

Speaking to the media here on Friday, Superintendent of Police B Rohith Raju informed that a special investigation was carried out into the cases reported under the limits of Aswaraopet, Dammapet, Burgampad, Paloncha rural, Tekulapally, Komararam, Julurpad and Chandrugonda police stations. Six gold chains weighing around 150 grams and three two-wheelers were seized from the accused. The recovered property was worth around Rs 26 lakh.

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The prime accused, Sunnam Nagendra Babu alias Nagendra along with his accomplices, used to target women sleeping outside their homes at night; cut the gold chains from their necks with wire cutters, snatch them and flee the scene on two-wheelers. In some instances, the gang stole two-wheelers beforehand and used them to commit crimes.

The accused hid the stolen items with women who were assisting the gang. Nagendra Babu, the gang’s ringleader, hailing from Usirlagudem village of Aswaraopet mandal was implicated in 83 theft cases in 10 police stations in the district besides other police stations across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Along with Nagendra Babu the police arrested Valluri Shantharaju- facing 11 theft charges, Oora Lingaiah-facing 12 cases, Uke Bhadram, Bethi Karthik, Bethi Adilakshmi, Kalluri Lavanya and Allam Saramma while Tammishetti Balaveera Swamy of Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh was absconding.

The SP appreciated Paloncha DSP Sathish Kumar, CI Nagaraju, SIs Rajesh Kumar, Yayati Raju, Bala Swaminadham and Dev Singh, head constable Prasad, constables Venkat, Dharma Rao, Lakshmaiah, Ramakrishna Reddy, Balakrishna and Narasimha Rao and woman constable Mounika for solving the cases.