NALGONDA: District police have arrested two members of an interstate burglary gang. The prime accused, Bhushmi Srikanth alias Ammiraju, allegedly confessed to committing more than 40 burglaries across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh after his release from jail, said police.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, Superintendent of Police Sharath Chandra Pawar said the arrests followed an investigation launched after a series of burglaries in the district.
Three special teams, led by Nalgonda CCS Inspector M Jitender Reddy and Miryalaguda Rural Inspector PND Prasad, analysed CCTV footage and other technical evidence across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh before identifying the gang.
Acting on intelligence inputs on the suspects’ movements on June 30, police laid surveillance near the Outer Ring Road after learning that Srikanth was travelling in a DCM vehicle from the Nagarjunasagar side towards Hyderabad.
Police said that after the vehicle was intercepted, Srikanth jumped out and attempted to flee. During the chase, he allegedly attacked CCS Head Constable Vishnuvardhan Giri with an iron rod, causing injuries.
According to police, officers first fired three warning rounds into the air. When the accused allegedly continued to attack the police personnel, they fired at his legs in self-defence before taking him into custody. He has been shifted to Vanasthalipuram Government Hospital for treatment.
A separate case relating to the alleged attack on the police team has been registered at the Adibatla police station.
The second accused was identified as Velpula Athendra alias Attili, a resident of Anjanipuram in Andhra Pradesh.
The SP said Srikanth has more than 30 criminal cases registered against him. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to committing over 40 additional burglaries after being released from jail.
Police said his fingerprints matched evidence collected from 10 crime scenes across the two states, including three in Nalgonda district and seven in Andhra Pradesh. He has also been identified as an accused in eight cases in Nalgonda district.
Police said further probe was under way to recover the stolen property and identify other members of the gang.
