The insatiable urge to earn more money to meet their vices made two youths resort to stealing.
B. Hari Babu (26) and Y. Bhaskar, both from Gollakandriga in Yerpedu mandal, decided in 2009 to resort to house-breakings, chain-snatchings and robbing passers-by to make a quick buck and had successfully implemented the same in Renigunta, Srikalahasti and Tirupati areas, until they were caught.
They resorted to 31 acts of crime, broke into two temples and 29 houses in broad daylight as well as during nights. They would sell the stolen booty to regular gold recyclers in Tirupati and Nellore.
“Haribabu had the habit of frequently flying to Hyderabad, Goa and Visakhapatnam with the ill-gotten money to have fun,” Superintendent of Police J. Prabhakar Rao told the media here on Tuesday.
Crime sleuths, led by Additional SP T. Subbarami Reddy and Crime DSP M.V.S. Swamy, swooped on the duo at Sankarambadi Sundarachari Circle on Monday evening and recovered 800 grams of gold ornaments valued at Rs.26 lakh, 4.75 kg of silverware, eight digital cameras and Rs.10,000 in petty cash (coins) stolen from temple hundis.
Mr. Rao congratulated Crime Inspector O. Ramachandra Reddy, CCS sub-inspectors B. Prabhakar Reddy, K. Chandrasekhar Pillai and announced cash rewards for them.
