Vijayawada: Prakasam district police recently nabbed a gang of five persons involved in temple theft and another person who had received the stolen items from them. The cops recovered stolen gold and silver valuables worth 15.5 lakh. The gang of temple theft offenders were identified as Savara Sipanya, Savara Bogesh, Bathina Srikanth, Savara Suryam, and Kuramana Srinivasa Rao.
It is recalled that the arrests were part of a detailed investigation into temple thefts in NG Padu mandal. The prime accused in the case was identified as Kakinada Krishna Rao alias Rama Krishna (68) of Sitampeta village. He was the receiver of the stolen valuables and was arrested near Ongole railway station on late Sunday night. Police seized 15 kg of stolen silver and gold ornaments from his possession.
According to police, Krishna Rao was transporting stolen silver and gold ornaments from temples in Chadalawada and B Nidamanur villages to Chennai to sell them at higher prices. Sub-inspector B Srikanth of NG Padu police station led the operation and produced the accused in court for judicial remand.
The cops recovered 400 gram of silver Harati Pallem, a 5.1 kg silver bar, four gram of gold Mangalasutram, a 200 gram silver idol of Lord Vinayaka, a 200 gram silver idol of Lord Dattatreya, and a 9.3 kg silver bar. They said that the gang of thieves used Google Maps to identify isolated temples. They had allegedly targeted over 100 temples across the state and stolen approximately 300 kg of silver ornaments.
The thefts included stealing temple valuables and DVRs of CCTV systems. The group sold the stolen items to Krishna Rao. Proceeds from the sales were used to meet their personal expenses.
