NELLORE: Tirupati district police cracked a jewellery shop robbery in Sullurupeta and arrested an inter-state offender, recovering stolen gold ornaments worth Rs 14 lakh.
Police said the robbery took place on March 14 at Sri Venkateswara Jewellers. The accused posed as a customer, asked to see gold chains, threw chilli powder into the shop owner’s eyes and fled with 12 chains.
Police formed multiple special teams led by Sullurupeta Inspector M Muralikrishna, Crime Police Station Inspector Shiva Kumar Reddy, Cyber Crime Inspector Vinod Kumar, Command and Control Inspector Eswar, and SIs G Ajay Kumar and K Kondapa Naidu. Teams used technical and field intelligence to track the suspect. Police arrested Velmurugan Babu alias Pulsar Babu (35), a resident of Kumaran Nagar, Tondiarpet, Chennai, on Saturday.
During interrogation, he confessed to the crime. Police recovered all 12 stolen chains weighing 112 grams and seized the scooter used in the robbery.
Investigators said the accused is a habitual offender with over 10 years of criminal history. He is involved in 24 cases across Tamil Nadu and Tirupati district, including Puttur and Srikalahasti. Several non-bailable warrants are pending, and Tamil Nadu police were also searching for him.
Superintendent of Police (SP) L Subbarayudu appreciated the team for solving the case and announced rewards for the officers.