KAKINADA/ANANTAPUR: Kakinada rural police on Sunday arrested five persons in connection with the theft at four temples in East Godavari district. In-charge DSP V Bhima Rao told the media that, Indrapalem sub-inspector K Nagarjuna and his team, during their investigation into the temple thefts, found a person, Mailapalli Kodandam (22), moving suspiciously and took him into custody. Kondandam confessed to his crime and revealed the details of his co-accused.
Based on the information provided by Kodandam, the police arrested four others — a juvenile, Kovvuri Durga Prasad (19), Ummidi Satish (20) and Thiridi Naveen Kasi (20) — all residents of Kakinada urban and rural. Apart from stealing cash from four temple hundis in Allavaram and Amalapuram mandals, they have also lifted two bikes in the Indrapalem police station limits, the DSP said. The police recovered `13,950 and two bikes from their possession. Police said two of the accused were involved in temple Hundi theft in Amalapuram on August 9 and 10 and in Allavaram on September 8 and 17. The accused lifted a bike from Turangi and Saibaba temple in Repuru village on October 2 and 3. The accused were produced before the Kakinada Fifth Additional Judicial first class magistrate, who remanded them to judicial custody.
Temple thieves caught on camera during ‘operation’
In Anantapur district, three persons broke into Srikanteswara Swamy temple in Hindupur late Saturday night and stole cash and valuables from the temple. The three persons breaking the locks and stealing
cash from the temple were recorded in the CCTVs. Police began investigation based on the footage.