Hyderabad: Telangana police arrested an inter-district offender involved in a series of thefts and chain-snatching cases and recovered stolen property worth around Rs 7 lakh, including gold ornaments and a stolen motorcycle.
The accused was identified as Kuncham Raju, 45 years, a resident of Yellampet village in Machareddy mandal of Kamareddy district, said Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) M Ravinder Reddy from the Siddipet Town Police Station on Tuesday, July 7.
The arrest followed an investigation into a chain-snatching incident reported on June 30, in which Bunadri Kanakavva, aged 50, who runs a cucumber stall near the Duddeda toll gate, was robbed of her gold pustela thadu, a sacred wedding necklace in Telugu and other South Indian cultures, by an unidentified man posing as a customer.
Acting on the complaint, a special team led by Inspector Lakshmi Babu and Sub-Inspector Karnakar Reddy, along with crime and Central Crime Station (CCS) personnel, analysed CCTV footage from Duddeda, Cheriyal and Komuravelli and used technical surveillance to identify and apprehend the accused.
During interrogation, Raju confessed that he had earlier been involved in tractor and machinery theft cases registered at Thorrur, Dornakal and Rajapet police stations and had served a jail term at Cherlapally Prison. Police said that after his release, he shifted to committing chain-snatching offences.
The investigation revealed that on April 20, the accused allegedly offered a lift to a woman from Avunur village in Mustabad mandal who was waiting for a bus near Ellamma Temple in Siddipet. After taking her to Venkayakunta, he allegedly pushed her off the motorcycle, threatened her, and snatched her three-tola gold chain.
Police said that later, on June 29, the accused stole a Hero Deluxe motorcycle near Vadlakonda crossroads in Jangaon district. Using the stolen motorcycle, he allegedly committed the chain-snatching at Duddeda the following day, escaping with a 3.5-tola gold chain from a woman running a fruit stall.
Investigators found that the accused pledged the stolen gold ornaments at Aashirvad Micro Finance Limited in Machareddy and Muthoot Gold Loan in Kamareddy, obtaining around Rs 6.52 lakh, which he reportedly spent on personal needs. He confessed that financial difficulties and the desire to earn quick money drove him to commit the crimes.
Police recovered the three-tola gold chain linked to the Mustabad case, the 3.5-tola gold chain from the Siddipet case and the stolen Hero Deluxe motorcycle from the Jangaon case. The total value of the recovered property is estimated at Rs 7 lakh. Mobile phones and other material evidence were also seized.
The accused was produced before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody, following which he was lodged in Siddipet Jail.
This post was last modified on July 7, 2026 6:44 pm