Task Force nabs Bhimavaram gang behind temple and shop thefts
HYDERABAD: The Commissioner’s Task Force, South-East Zone, in coordination with IS Sadan police, arrested five men and a juvenile from Bhimavaram, West Godavari district, for a series of temple thefts, shop break ins, and vehicle thefts committed in Hyderabad and Rachakonda Commissionerates.
Police said the accused Juvvala Tharun Kumar Raju (21), Dagarapu Ellyaajaru (22), Maruboyina Mavullu (19), Gandreddy Lokesh (19), Konala Rajji (18), and a juvenile were habitual offenders involved in multiple property offences in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
A total of 12 cases were detected, including four temple thefts, six shutter lifting cases, and two motorcycle thefts, with ₹17,104 in cash and property worth about ₹4 lakh recovered. The seized items include cash, two motorbikes, tools used in the crimes, and four mobile phones.
Series of thefts across two commissionerates
The gang arrived in Hyderabad early in November after stealing a Bajaj Pulsar bike at Nandigama. They used it to travel across the city and commit thefts in temples and shops under IS Sadan, Saroor Nagar, Saidabad, Begum Bazar and Sultan Bazar police limits. They later escaped to Bhimavaram, only to return on November 7 to commit more offences.
On November 9, acting on a tip off, the Task Force team and IS Sadan police intercepted them near Champapet Four Temples and recovered stolen property. Police said the offenders had been apprehended within three days of the incidents.
History of property offences
Investigators found that the prime accused, Juvvala Tharun Kumar Raju, was involved in 41 previous cases, while Ellyaajaru in 30, Lokesh in 15, and Mavullu in six. The accused had earlier been jailed in Andhra Pradesh but returned to crime after release.
Police said A-5 and the juvenile were responsible for receiving and selling stolen goods and for encouraging the others to commit thefts.
Police team and supervision
The operation was conducted under the supervision of Additional DCP (Task Force) Ande Srinivasa Rao, Additional DCP (South-East Zone) K. Srikanth and ACP (Santosh Nagar) Sukdev Singh, with inspectors S. Saidababu, G. Nagaraju, and N. Karuna Kumar leading the teams.
The accused have been remanded to judicial custody.
