Hyderabad: An interstate gang of five people was arrested on Wednesday, January 14, for allegedly stealing gold and silver worth Rs 26 lakh from the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Hyderabad’s KPHB colony.
The robbery occurred on the night of January 6, and a complaint was filed by the temple manager, Kandula Maruthi, on January 7. Based on the complaint, a case was registered under sections 331(4) (house-trespass or house-breaking), 305 (theft at places of worship), and 3(5) (Common Intention)
The accused were identified as Maharaju Mallikarjun, Dunnapothula Pawan Kalyan, Dandi Anil Teja, Kambapu Vijay and Thangila Manikanta Durga Prasad Akhil. Two other accused were identified as Bashya Venkat Mohith Kumar and Neelapu Neelaiah Anil.
Anil is a habitual offender, the police said.
According to the police, the accused broke into the temple and stole gold and silver ornaments. Addressing the media, KPHB Division Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) E Ravikiran Reddy said that the arrests were made after the police verified footage from 200 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
The ACP said that Neelapu Neelaiah Anil, Maharaju Mallikarjun, Bashya Venkat Mohith Kumar and Dunnapothula Pawan Kalyan were involved in the theft, while Teja, Kambapu Vijay and Durga Prasad helped in disposing the stolen ornaments.
