Vijayawada: In a special drive against two-wheeler thefts, Guntur police recovered 34 stolen motorcycles worth Rs 25 lakh and arrested nine accused, including two minors. The thefts occurred across various police station limits in the district. According to SP Sateesh Kumar, the drive was launched following a spate of complaints filed by vehicle owners across different police station jurisdictions, particularly in areas such as Patabhipuram, Old Guntur, Nagarampalem, and Tadikonda. These areas reported a surge in two-wheeler thefts over the past few months. Based on complaints and available CCTV footage, as well as technical inputs and information on habitual offenders, the police detained several suspects and carried out intensive interrogations. This led to the identification of the accused and the recovery of the stolen vehicles.The recovered vehicles were traced and seized by police teams from East, West, Nallapadu, Tadikonda subdivisions, and the Crime Division. The arrested accused are identified as Akkisetti Akash (19), Uppu Rakesh (19), Madugula Ravi Teja (22), Shaik Asheeru (28), Kona Venkata Gopi (27), Tokala Rajesh (19), Boyapati Jayasai (21), and two minors.In addition to the accused, police identified individuals who purchased stolen two-wheelers: Mopidevi Revanth (20), Vishumolakala Koteshwar Rao, Manikanth, Seelam Yesu, Shaik Hussain, Kolla Yesubabu (26), Kottamassu Sai (35), and a minor boy.SP said the accused developed habits of substance abuse and targeted vehicles parked outside homes, marketplaces, hospitals, and religious places. Once stolen, these vehicles were used to roam freely and were occasionally employed to commit other petty crimes. SP emphasised that negligence by vehicle owners—especially parking in open areas without security measures—made the thefts easier for the offenders. In light of this, SP urged citizens to take precautions, including installing CCTV cameras, avoiding open-area parking, and using additional security features such as handle locks, wheel locks, and GPS tracking systems for their vehicles.
