The city police on Thursday busted two gangs involved in the theft of 22 motorcycles, an SUV, spare parts of five motorcycles, and 19 mobile phones, all worth Rs. 16 lakh, and recovered the stolen property from them.
Announcing this at a media conference here on Thursday, Police Commissioner B. Shivadhar Reddy said two brothers — Onumu Shekar (38) and Murali (32) — of the One Town area were arrested for stealing parked bikes, dismantling them, and selling the spare parts. Shekar has a shop dealing in purchase and sale of used two-wheeler spares in the city. The brothers were addicted to vices and hit upon a novel plan to steal vehicles and sell the spare parts to avoid detection.
Their modus operandi was to keep a watch at the parking lots and after the vehicle owner leaves, they would unlock the vehicle using their master key and escape on the same vehicle.
The stolen vehicles would be concealed and dismantled at their house at Kothasalipeta. The parts would be sold through their shop. They stole 18 motorcycles and spare parts of five motorcycles, all worth Rs. 8 lakh. One of the accused was caught on a CC camera while trying to steal a vehicle from the parking lot at KGH. On a tip off, One Town Inspector Iliyas Mohammad and his team arrested them after they failed to produce the documents of the bikes.
Mr. Shivadhar Reddy said in another case the III Town Police arrested the prime accused G. Pydiraju (22) of Vizianagaram and his associates K. Umamaheswara Rao (22) and Katakam Swarna Kumar (20) for stealing four two-wheelers, one SUV, and 19 mobile phones at various places in the city.
A few days ago they also stole the parked SUV belonging to a relative of Minister Danam Nagender.
Deputy Commissioner of Police P. Viswa Prasad, Additional DCP (Crime) Mohd. Khan, and Assistant Commissioners of Police S. Venkata Rao (East) and B. Prasad Rao (North) were present.
