Vijayawada: What began as a seemingly minor case of puppy theft spiraled into a high-profile burglary in Patamala, leaving police and residents stunned. Initially dismissed as trivial, the complaint about a stolen puppy led investigators to uncover a major theft involving gold and cash.The incident occurred in New RTC Colony, where gas company owner Chirumamilla Prasad reported a break-in at his residence. On Monday morning, Prasad discovered that his bedroom cupboard had been broken into, with 280 grams of gold ornaments and 25,000 in cash missing. Patamata police launched a preliminary investigation, soon joined by the CCS team, including ADCP Raja Rao, Central ACP Damodar, and CI Pawan Kishore.CCTV footage revealed a man and woman entering the premises at 1:05 am on Sunday through a small gate and breaking in via a mesh-covered window. Prasad, his wife, and a domestic helper were asleep in separate rooms as the suspects quietly looted valuables from a third room.Inside the residence, Prasad and his wife were asleep in one room, while a domestic help was resting in another. The suspects avoided waking anyone and broke open a cupboard in the third room to steal the valuables before fleeing the scene.CCTV footage also showed the same duo scouting the area earlier that night, around 12:15 am, but retreated when a police patrol passed by. They returned at 1:00 am and executed the burglary just five minutes later. Upon further examination of footage from the previous day, an unexpected connection emerged. The same couple stole a puppy that was tied to the gate of another house on Funtimes Road. The pet owner filed a complaint with the Patamata police, but the case did not receive prompt attention.The case saw a breakthrough within 20 hours. Three police teams tracked down the suspects, identifying them as a couple from Bhavanipuram. The male suspect was identified as Manda Pandu, while the identity of the female suspect is yet to be confirmed. Investigations revealed that Pandu is unemployed and has a known addiction to ganja. On Monday night, police visited Pandu’s residence in Bhavanipuram and recovered the stolen property from his mother.Efforts are ongoing to nab the duo, who remain at large. Police are continuing their search.
