Prakasam district police have arrested Visa Ramesh Babu, a 51-year-old from Kandukuru town, for repeatedly stealing passenger belongings at the Ongole RTC bus stand over the past two years. Authorities recovered 10 stolen laptops from his possession.
Police said Ramesh Babu employed a deceptive method to target unsuspecting travellers. Posing as a passenger, he would board buses and wait for commuters to briefly step away — often for water or snacks — leaving their bags unattended. In those moments, he would discreetly swap the original bag with his identical empty one and flee the scene.
One of his recent thefts occurred on July 5, when a passenger named P. Sudhakar, traveling from Vijayawada to Tirupati, temporarily left his bag in the bus while fetching water. Ramesh Babu allegedly stole the bag, which contained Rs5,000 in cash and important documents.
Following Sudhakar’s complaint, Ongole One Town CI Y. Nagaraju launched an investigation. CCTV footage from the bus stand and technical surveillance helped trace the suspect to Bhagya Nagar in Ongole, where he was arrested.
Police believe this is part of a larger pattern of thefts by the accused, who had managed to avoid detection for years by blending in as a regular commuter.
Authorities have urged passengers to remain vigilant at public transport hubs and avoid leaving their belongings unattended, even for a short while.
