Mancherial: Merchant-turned-thief lands in police net

Mancherial: A young merchant-turned-thief from Guntur was arrested on charges of burglaries and lifting of bike here on Friday. Gold ornaments weighing 42 tolas and 6.5 tolas of silver ornaments worth Rs 9.21 lakh including sickles and knives were recovered from him.

Giving details of the arrest, Mancherial Assistant Commissioner of Police Akhil Mahajan said Rayapati Venkaiah, an orphan hailing from Koratipadu in Guntur district, was arrested when he tried to flee on noticing cops during a vehicle check held in Mancherial.

During the interrogation, Venkaiah confessed to the crime as he suffered losses in groceries trading business and to lead a lavish lifestyle. He admitted that he started with lifting of motorcycles and then began house burglaries in different parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He disclosed that he was arrested and released on bail in the past.

The trader further revealed that he along with some of his friends would travel by a swanky car and target locked houses in towns. He stated that he would carry tools, sickles, iron rod, screw driver to gain entry into a house. He told investigators that he had disposed the gold in bulk quantities and used the money to lead a luxurious lifestyle.

The ACP commended Mancherial town inspector B Narayana Naik, Central Crime Station Inspector G Ashok, Sub-inspector D Mahender, Head Constable D Rama Rao, constables G Satheesh, K Srinivas for apprehending the burglar. He handed over a cash reward to the police officer for playing a vital role in recovering the property.