7 arrested for illegal treasure hunt in Chittoor dist

Tirupati: In a late-night operation on Saturday, Chittoor district police arrested seven individuals for allegedly conducting an illegal treasure hunt near Veerappalle village in Peddapanjani mandal. Acting on reliable information, a police team raided the site and discovered an excavation in progress. Investigations revealed that the operation was led by Yerraballi Srinivasulu, a former MPTC member and current YSRCP district secretary from Kelavathi village.

Srinivasulu, along with his brother Saravanan from Chennai, had reportedly sought the guidance of a priest named Ambika Swamy from Punganur, who claimed to help them identify the location of buried treasure through rituals. Following the priest’s directions, the group performed certain rituals near Veerappalle before beginning the excavation. To carry out the digging, they enlisted the help of former police constable Vinod Kumar from Chittoor, who arranged a JCB excavator, a metal detector, and other equipment. The group began digging late on October 11, but their activities were soon intercepted by police. Acting on a tip-off, Palamaneru urban Inspector Murali Mohan instructed Sub-Inspector Lokesh and Peddapanjani PSI Mareppa to conduct a raid.

The police team reached the spot, detained seven persons, and seized a JCB machine, a car, and four motorcycles from the location. Those arrested were identified as Y Srinivasulu (50) from Kelavathi village in Peddapanjani mandal; his brother Y Saravanan (43); B Srinivasulu (47), and B Prakash (47), both from Bandlapalli village in Punganur mandal; C Srinivasa Reddy (34), from the same village; Kanipakam Ramesh (30) of Siddampalle village in Tavanampalle mandal; and J Sunil (33), a JCB driver from Bandakindapalle village in Kalikiri mandal.

A case has been registered at Peddapanjani police station under Crime No 127/2025 for violations of the Indian Treasure Trove Act, 1878, along with relevant sections of Indian Penal Code.

Police officials stated that several others involved in the case are still at large, including another Srinivasulu from E Kottakota in Punganur mandal, former policeman Vinod Kumar from Chowdepalle, electrician Chittoor Venkatesh from Kattimanchi, JCB owner Santosh Reddy and his associate, and two priests from Chittoor. Search operations are ongoing to trace the absconding suspects.