Chittoor: Ina major breakthrough against property crimes, Chittoor district police cracked two separate cases of chain snatching and house burglary, leading to the arrest of three accused from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

The operations resulted in the recovery of gold ornaments, cash and vehicles valued at nearly Rs 33.77 lakh.

Superintendent of Police VN Manikanta Chandolu told the media on Sunday that the arrests were possible due to close coordination between Chittoor I Town and NR Peta police teams, working under the supervision of DSP T Sainath.

He said the cases highlight the growing challenge of interstate criminals operating across district borders.

In the first operation, Chittoor I Town police apprehended two men belonging to an interstate chain-snatching gang. The accused, identified as R Amsayusan (26) of Mettupalayam and Mohammed Pitha (25) of Dindigul district, were nabbed near Reliance Mart in Chamantipuram early Sunday.

The duo, who rode motorcycles to escape after targeting lone women in isolated areas, were found involved in at least eight cases, including four in Chittoor I Town and others in Chittoor Rural, Punganur, V Kota and Madanapalle.

Police seized 192 grams of gold ornaments worth around Rs 20 lakh and two motorcycles worth Rs 3 lakh from them.

In a separate case, NR Peta police arrested G Prashanth (26), a driver from Ranipet district, who was wanted for a series of burglaries.

He was caught after investigations into a complaint from Bangareddypalli Harijanawada, where a house had been broken into on August 22. Prashanth later admitted to three burglaries across Penumur (2024), Chittoor Rural (2025) and NR Peta (2025).

From him, police recovered 109 grams of gold jewellery worth Rs 10.35 lakh along with Rs 42,000 cash.

The stolen ornaments included chains, rings, bangles and earrings, according to police. Praising the efforts of his teams, SP Manikanta said that surveillance, technology and interstate coordination were crucial in solving the cases. He assured that the district police are stepping up preventive measures to curb chain snatchings and burglaries.