A 12-member gang allegedly involved in several theft and pick pocket cases was busted by the police in Vijayawada on Friday, with the recovery of valuables worth around Rs. 14 lakh from their possession.
The kingpin of the gang, Chadala Krishna and Kanagala Sreenu, would give training to fresh entrants into the gang, under the nickname ‘pala dabbas’, City Police Commissioner A.B. Venkateswara Rao told the media here. Krishna’s wife, Bhulakshmi and son Sai, were also the members of the gang and were wanted in several cases reported from many districts. The 12 accused were natives of Guntur, Krishna, Nellore and Prakasam districts, he said.
Giving details of the modus operandi of the gang, the Police Commissioner said that the members used to board crowded buses, autos, enter marriage parties and political meetings and steal money from gullible people. The gang members committed several offences in Tirupati, Krishna, Guntur, Shirdi and other places earlier and were convicted too, said Mr. Rao.
The accused had been committing such offences for the last few years. The Central Crime Station (CCS) police arrested Bhulakshmi and Sai, while the latter were on their way to steal from people gathered at the cock fight venues during ‘Sankranti’ festival, which led to the arrest of other members of the gang, Mr. Rao added.