The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : One held; property worth Rs.10 lakhs recovered

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 18, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

One held; property worth Rs.10 lakhs recovered

Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM: In a major breakthrough in the series of housebreaking incidents that gave sleepless nights to residents, the City Police arrested an ex-convict and recovered gold ornaments and cash all valued at about Rs.10 lakhs.

Giving details to the media here on Monday, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police P. Rama Rao said that the prime accused Majji Lakshmana Rao was arrested on Sunday and based on his confession, it was revealed that there was a nexus between unscrupulous gold merchants and the accused. Lakshmana Rao had committed 19 offences, 13 under Kancharapalem Police Station limits and six under IV Town limits.

Instruments supplied

The accused sold the stolen gold ornaments to G. Tataji and his father Sambamurthy, who have gold shops at Kurupam Market. Tataji had also supplied housebreaking implements, vehicles, mobile phones and a gold testing stone and thereby encouraged the accused to commit crimes. On one occasion, Tataji waited outside a house, while the accused committed the crime, to purchase stolen ornaments.

The call history on the mobile phone of the accused, gathered by the police, revealed that the accused had spoken to Tataji on the day of committing a crime.

The modus operandi of the ex-convict, who is only 23, was to visit posh colonies during evenings and keep a watch. His targets were locked houses and he used screwdrivers to remove the door latches and window grills and commit the burglaries.

Kancharapalem CI S. Venkata Rao and his team arrested the accused at Gnanapuram junction when he was in possession of stolen ornaments on Sunday. Gold ornaments weighing about 90 tolas and Rs.1.20 lakhs cash was recovered from him subsequently.

The accused was a native of S. Kota in Vizianagaram district. He had served a jail sentence for committing offences at S. Kota, Salur and Vizianagaram. He came to Visakhapatnam about four years ago and has been indulging in crimes ever since he was released from the Central Prison here.

Mr. Rama Rao said that while gold merchant Sambamurthy was arrested, his son was absconding. It was revealed that two other accused Sarojini and Varadaraju, relatives of the accused, had received the stolen properties. He said that Police Commissioner N. Sambasiva Rao had announced rewards to the crime team from IV and V Town Police Station which were instrumental in the arrest of the accused.

IV Town CI Bh. Vimala Kumari, CCS CI T.M.S. Prakash and V Town CI S. Venkata Rao were present.

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