Gang of 5 held, 25L worth tractors seized in Ongole

Ongole: The Kandukur subdivision police in the Prakasam district have busted a gang of tractors and other farm equipment thieves, who are selling the parts and scrap of the machines to make money.

The district Superintendent of Police, Siddhart Kaushal, announced in a press meeting on Thursday that they received complaints about theft of tractors and trucks in various mandals of the district and ordered to put a special focus on the suspects.

He said that the Kandukur Circle Inspector of Police M Vijaya Kumar and Gudluru Sub-Inspector Y Panduranga Rao were successful in tracking the five-member gang of thieves under the guidance of DSP B Ravi Chandra and arrested them. He said that they have recovered 12 vehicles, including the tractors and trucks worth Rs 25 lakh, reported theft in various police stations.

The SP said that the main accused Gosu Madhava Rao of Kandukur goes to the farmers seeking work and keeps an eye on the vehicles and other farm machines. When the time cooperate, he escapes from the farm with the vehicles and stores them in a shed to remove their parts and make the bodies into pieces with a gas cutter for selling as scrap, with the help of mechanic Thota Venkata Ranga Kumar of Ongole.

He said that they also took Erla Subbarao of Karumanchi, Shaik Abdul Khader and Shaik Ahammad Mohiddin of Ongole for cooperating the main accused. He said that there might be some other gangs also with the same modes operandi and advised the farmers and owners of the vehicles in the district to not part with the keys and keep their vehicles in a secured place, but not leave them in open place.

The SP appreciated the CI, SI and other staff for keeping constant surveillance on the gang and arresting them successfully.