ONGOLE: Prakasam district police busted a five-member inter-state theft gang, including two minors, and recovered stolen property worth Rs 4.70 lakh in temple thefts, Superintendent of Police V Harshavardhan Raju said on Saturday.
The SP presented the recovered property to the media and detailed the arrests.
Police identified the accused as Aniket Kailash Kasarodhe (27), Sunil Devara Suryavamsi (24), Maneesh Gopal Vadive (21), and two minors aged 17, all from Warud taluka in Amravati district of Maharashtra.
Police said they registered three cases against the gang in J Panguluru and Madanapalle police station limits. The gang broke open the Sri Ramalingeswara Swamy temple in Ramakuru village on April 1 and stole about 7 kg of silver and 19 grams of gold ornaments worth Rs 3.5 lakh.
They later targeted a temple in Renangivaram village and stole three silver crowns weighing about 2 kg. Police said the gang earlier committed a theft at Srikrishna Temple in Madanapalle on February 23 and looted gold and silver ornaments.
Under the supervision of Darsi DSP, Addanki Rural Circle Inspector K Ravindra Reddy, Sub-Inspector B Vinod Babu of J Panguluru, Sub-Inspector SK Mohammad Rafi of Medarametla, and Sub-Inspector Y Suresh of Korisapadu formed special teams and tracked the suspects.
Police arrested the gang near Singarakonda Anjaneya Swamy temple on Saturday.