Chain snatcher arrested in Guntur; jewellery worth Rs 37 lakh recovered

GUNTUR: Guntur police have arrested a man involved in 25 chain snatching cases and recovered from him 1.37 kg of gold jewelry worth Rs 37 lakh. Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Urban SP Ch Vijaya Rao said the accused Pothineni Gopi, of Vejendla village in Chebrolu mandal who worked as a construction worker, learnt snatching chains through television programmes.

The SP said Gopi, who committed robberies with a helmet on and a handkerchief tied to his face to save him self from getting identified, snatched a gold chain for the first time from one D Venkata Vysantavi in Mangalagiri on April 4, 2018. Other similar cases were registered at Pedakakani, Guntur and other areas of the district. He was also addicted to vices such as cockfights and gambling.

A special team consisting of Additional SP S Raghava, Mangalagiri DSP G Rama Krishna, CI Ravi Babu and CCS sub-inspectors Sk Abdul Kareem and Suresh Babu was formed who took help of numerous CCTV footage to nab the culprit. Gopi was arrested in Padavadlapudi of Mangalagiri mandal on Wednesday.