Kurnool Police have recently cracked a series of thefts in six temples and one house in the district using CCTV footage. All those allegedly involved in these crimes were arrested and the stolen items were recovered.
Police superintendent Fakkeerappa Kaginelli told the media on Tuesday that several teams had been formed to investigate the thefts. “With the help of CCTV footage from the temples in Veldurthi, Gonegandla, Halahavri and a house in Gudur, the defendants were identified and arrested,” he said. Three people were arrested for stealing from Veldurthi Thikkaratha Swamy Temple, Ayyappaswamy Temple and Yellamma Thalli Temple at midnight on March 1st. The exploratory teams, led by Dhone Circle Inspector O. Maheswar Reddy and Veldurthi SI Peddayya Naidu, resolved the case within 28 days.
A Pagidyala Subbarayudu (28) from the district of Kadapa, Nagaluri Adinarayana (35), Nagaluri Janayya (24), Gurnadham Gangaraju (24), Nagaluri Yesebu (18) and Gurnadham Anjaneyulu (22) are said to have committed theft in three temples. When Subbaryudu was arrested, he gave information about other defendants and two of them – Adinarayana and Janayya – were arrested. Police recovered £ 4,000 in cash and a dagger.
On March 22, cash was stolen from hundreds of Kasi Neelakantheswara Swamy and Chintalamuni Swamy temples in Gonegandla Village. The police arrested Nagaluru Adinarayana, 35, and Nagaluru Janayya, 24, both from Ontimitta. Police recovered £ 36,448 and a motorcycle.
Three hundred were broken and cash was stolen at Halahavri Belagutta Basaveswara Swamy Temple. Police recovered £ 60,400, a motorcycle and the stolen Panchaloha jewelry (70 grams) and silver (80 grams). Nagaluri Chinna Venkatesh, 27, and Gurunadham Yedukondalu, 27, were arrested
While breaking a house in Gudur, Jahangir, 45, from the village of Gudipadu, Telangana, was arrested and recovered £ 16 in cash, £ 35,000 of silver jewelry and a cell phone.
Shaik Nazeer’s main door lock was tampered with and 17 pounds of cash kept in a plastic bucket in the house and other materials were stolen, according to a victim’s complaint.
A team led by the Kodumuru Circle Inspector found 10 tons of gold coin and 18.5 tons of gold jewelry and found the defendants, who were allegedly stolen in 10 different thefts in Gadwal and Pebbair in Telangana. The SP announced that the gold would be handed over to the Telangana police via the court in due course.