The city police on Monday arrested a serial vehicle thief, who has been allegedly involved in stealing a number of lorries across the State.
Based on a complaint from a lorry owner in Vijayawada that the accused Koram Anil Kumar had stolen his lorry worth around ₹20 lakh, the crime team from the city arrested him on Monday near Gosthani bridge at Tagarapuvalasa.
According to DCP (Crimes) V. Suresh Babu, the accused aged around 34 years and a resident of Kothapalli village in Krishna district, had been a lorry driver in the past and due to heavy debts and addicted to vices, he took to stealing lorries.
He had committed such offences in the past at Hanuman Junction, Nuzvid and also at Hyderabad. He was arrested and released on bail about two months ago.
According to Mr. Suresh Babu, the accused first befriends the lorry drivers or owners at highway dhabas (eateries) and gains their confidence, by asking a lift. During the course of the journey, if the driver or owner gets down for relieving himself or halts at an eatery for a bite, he steals the vehicle.