Stolen property worth Rs 85 lakh seized from gang of three

Time of India

05-05-2025

Vijayawada:
Prakasam district police
arrested a notorious
inter-district gang
involved in a series of house burglaries and illegal ganja transportation across Andhra Pradesh. The arrests led to the recovery of stolen property worth approximately Rs 85 lakh, including gold, silver, ganja, and a vehicle.
According to SP A R Damodhar, a special operation was carried out by the Podili circle police which led to the arrest of three accused identified as Cheemparthi Fakruddin (35), Chimparthi Mahaboob Peera (25), and Gandlu Latheef Basha (24) of YSR Kadapa. Police seized gold ornaments weighing 924.3 gram (Rs 81 lakh), silver items weighing 3.8 kg (Rs 4.2 lakh), 6.2 kg of ganja, and a vehicle.
The arrested were involved in 16 cases across five districts. There were three cases against them in Prakasam, eight cases in Nellore, three cases in YSR Kadapa, one in Anantapur, and one case in Annamayya.
The gang primarily targeted locked houses in broad daylight. The breakthrough came after a robbery in Podili on April 14, where 27 sovereigns of gold and two kilogram of silver were stolen from the house of one Beeram Nasar Reddy. CCTV footage helped identify the suspects and the vehicle involved.
When police attempted to intercept the accused in Proddatur after another robbery in Kavali, the gang rammed their car into a police jeep and fled. On May 4, based on a tip-off that the accused were returning from Visakhapatnam, police intercepted them in Podili. In a desperate bid to escape, they crashed their vehicle and were nabbed. A subsequent raid on Fakruddin's house in Khadarpalli led to the recovery of additional stolen property.
Fakruddin, a seasoned criminal, was previously jailed under the PD Act and released in January, 2025. He has a record of thefts in Nandyal (seven cases), Kadapa (five), Bethancherla (two), and CCS Tirupati (two). He was also involved in red sandalwood smuggling.