Bathalapalli Police have busted an inter-district gold theft gang involved in targeting women passengers boarding buses, arresting three adults and recovering gold ornaments worth Rs 8 lakh, officials said on Thursday.
Addressing the media at Bathalapalli police station, Dharmavaram DSP B Hemanth Kumar, along with CI N Prabhakar and SI D Somasekhar, said the accused were identified as Vanarchi Kotayya alias Yogi (30), a driver; his wife Vanarchi Pilisha (25), who sells hair bands and clips; and Sindya Shanti (23), a hotel worker. All are residents of Bharat Nagar, Adoni town, in Kurnool district. Three juveniles were also found to be involved in the offences.
Acting on the directions of district SP S Satish Kumar, a special police team led by DSP Hemanth Kumar arrested the accused on Thursday at 12.30 pm near the flyover bridge on Dharmavaram Road in Bathalapalli village. Police recovered 12 tolas of gold ornaments from their possession.
Investigations revealed that the gang was involved in multiple theft cases, including the theft of a four-tola gold chain from a woman boarding a bus at Bathalapalli crossroads on December 23, and the theft of four gold bangles from another woman on Tadipatri Road the same day. The accused were also linked to a 2022 case involving gold jewellery theft from a woman travelling on the Dharmavaram–Anantapur bus route.
Further investigation is underway to trace additional cases connected to the gang.
