HYDERABAD: A gang involved in a series of idol thefts was busted and two thieves and a receiver were arrested by the Rachakonda Central Crime Station (CCS) police at Mangalpally Crossroads near Bongloor on Wednesday. They also recovered 12 idols and temple articles, worth 5.36 lakh from their possession.Around 8:30am, acting on specific intelligence, teams from the CCS, LB Nagar, and Ibrahimpatnam police intercepted Karacha Sivananda, 52, a labourer from Vanasthalipuram, Shaik Shareef, 38, a daily-wager from Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh, but currently staying at LB Nagar, and Akkapalli Kranthi Kumar, 31, a scrap dealer from Uppal, at Mangalpally Crossroads. Police recovered 12 idols and temple articles, along with a stolen motorcycle, mobile phones, and crowbars, all worth 5.36 lakh. The haul includes Panchaloha idols of Lord Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Hanuman, Peddiraju, Peddamma, Ayyappa, a silver Ayyappa idol, brass lamps, temple bells, and hundi boxes.Rachakonda police commissioner G Sudheer Babu said Sivananda, who was previously accused in five theft cases in Warangal and Rachakonda police commissionerates, and Shareef, who has no prior criminal record, became friends at labour addas and plotted to make easy money by targeting unguarded village temples. “They conducted recces in hired autos, used crowbars to break locks, and stole idols,” he said.The gang struck at temples in Gandlaguda, Upparaguda, Saddupally, Dandumailaram, and Polkampally, sometimes targeting two places of worship nearby in one go, between Feb and June 2025. They sold some stolen idols to Kumar for 18,500.Six cases have been booked at Yacharam, Ibrahimpatnam, and Abdullapurment police stations against the accused. The accused, along with the seized articles, would be produced before court for judicial remand.
