Vijayawada: Guntur police arrested seven individuals in Tenali on Friday for their involvment in eight chain snatching incidents and recovered 162 grams of gold jewellery and five stolen bikes worth Rs 16.12 lakh.
The gang was active for two years, using stolen motorcycles to commit crimes, and had no prior police records. Investigations also linked them to unreported chain snatching attempts. The accused admitted to stealing to fund their addictions and lavish lifestyles.
The arrested accused are Potharlanka Sai Madhav (21), Sheikh Maqbool (35), Amartaloori Nani (19), Mohammad Sameer (26), Dhanavath Hanumanthu Naik (19), Syed Karimulla alias Munna (41), and Sheikh Baravali alias Baara (29).
According to Guntur SP Satish Kumar , one of the significant cases involved an incident on Jan 27. A woman was walking under the Chenchupeta Bridge in Tenali when an unidentified person approached her from behind, forcibly snatched her gold chain, and escaped on a waiting motorcycle. Following her complaint, Tenali Three Town CI Ramesh Babu registered a case and launched an investigation.
Based on information provided by Tenali Rural police, the accused were identified, with Potharlanka Sai Madhav as the prime accused. Upon interrogation, Sai Madhav revealed that he, along with a group of local youths, started stealing motorcycles to carry out chain-snatching crimes. The gang used stolen bikes for their operations over the past two years.
According to the police investigation, Sai Madhav snatched chains, while one of his accomplices used to wait on a motorcycle to help him escape. The stolen gold was handed over to another gang member, Sheikh Maqbool, who sold it to acquaintances. The money obtained was reportedly used for extravagant personal expenses. One of the accused, Hanumanthu Naik, was also involved in a bike theft case in Tenali and was already arrested and remanded. A suspect sheet was opened against him.
The gang was also found to have committed chain-snatching in Chavali village under the jurisdiction of Vemuru police station in Bapatla. CCTV footage confirmed their involvement in multiple incidents, including bike thefts in Tenali Three Town and Chebrolu. Police utilised advanced surveillance and technical investigation methods to crack the case.
SP Satish Kumar emphasised the importance of installing CCTV cameras in commercial areas and residential neighbourhoods, urging citizens to take necessary security precautions. Police continue to investigate other potential crimes committed by the gang and are urging victims who have not yet reported incidents to come forward.
