Two chain snatchers held, ornaments recovered

Bapatla: The Bapatla District CCS and Karlapalem police have arrested two inter-district chain snatchers, who were targeting women travelling alone, and recovered stolen gold ornaments and vehicles worth approximately Rs 24 lakh.

Explaining the details of the accused at a press conference held at the District Police Headquarters in Bapatla on Monday, SP B Umamaheswar said that the case originated on October 29, 2025. He said that Karri Lakshmi Prasanna, a woman police constable, was returning from duty on her scooter near the Ayyappa Swamy Temple on NH-216, Karlapalem, when an accused on a motorcycle sped past and snatched her gold chain, fleeing toward Buddam. The SP said that special teams were formed under DSP P Jagadeesh Naik, with Rural CI Harikrishna and CCS Inspector Premaiah, leading the investigation. Using CCTV footage and technical surveillance, the accused were traced and arrested on March 1, 2026, at a tea stall near NH-216 in Nallamothuvaripalem.

The SP revealed that the arrested accused are Patnala Venkata Durgaprabhu Akhil (28) of Guntur and Sheikh Raj (28) of Guntur. Accused Akhil, an MBA graduate running a gym, resorted to chain snatching to fund his lavish lifestyle.

The duo is linked to four cases across Karlapalem, Narasaraopet, Addanki, and Ponnur police stations. He said that the recovered property includes 129.57 grams of gold ornaments and three vehicles. SP Umamaheswar commended the team and presented cash rewards for their outstanding performance.